Hold On
by HP4EverLuver
Summary: Lily Trescott has the perfect life. Until she gets kiddnapped that is. And to make matters worse, her kiddnappers send in videos of them torturing her daily to the Today Show for America to see. Can Lily's friends find her in time?Or will it be too late?
1. Trailer

**Lily Truscott**

**A sweet, sporty girl**

_Shows Lily making the final touchdown in Touch Football_

**Great grades, great friends, great life**

**What more could she want?**

_Show's Lily's dad taking a picture of her, Miley and Oliver_

**But what happens when she's kidnapped and the nation watches as she fights for her life?**

_Shows the Today Show playing a video of Lily bleeding on the carpet_

**Because her kidnappers send daily videos to New York so the rest of the country can watch her suffer?**

"_Now," grinned one of her kidnappers. "Watch as we torture a little girl for fun."_

**Lily's friends and family will stop at nothing to get her back**

"_I'm sick of doing nothing!" Miley said to a crowd. Now I'm gonna get Lily back. Who's with me?" The crowd cheered their answer._

**But will it be too late?"**

_Shows Lily in a hospital bed and her heart monitor stops beeping. Oliver grabs her hand and kisses it while he cries. "Hold on, Lily. Hold on."_

_**Hold On**_

_**The kidnapping of Lillian Alexandria Truscott**_


	2. The Stranger

The storm was fierce and loud. The lighting struck random every now and thing setting things ablaze. The thunder cracked the sky and lit up the dark stormy night. If you looked closely, an old house that hadn't been used in years. This old house was pretty ordinary. It had an attic, 2 bedrooms upstairs, a living room, dining room, and a kitchen downstairs, and a basement underneath that. The basement was dark and gloomy and wet. If you looked under the stairs, you would see a wet shriving object. If you looked closer you would see that it was a human. And if you looked closer still, you would see it was a 14 year old girl. Well guess what? That 14 year old girl is me. My name is Lillian Alexandria Truscott, or Lily for short. And I was taken from my family, my friends and my life to be tortured, cursed and left to die. But I should probably start at the begging. It all started when my best friend Miley was freaking over a huge science test we had coming up. Me and my other best friend Oliver, we're sitting on her bed as she burned a hole in her carpet with her pacing.

_**LATLATLATLATLATLATLATLATLATLATLAT**_

"Guys! Are you even listening to me?" Miley yelled franticly while looking at Lily and Oliver. Oliver groaned.

"Why are we- and when I say we I mean me-here again?"

"Because," Miley explained for what was probably the 30th time that night. "I have to pass this test. And miraculously even you are doing better in Skunkle's class then I am." Oliver smiled and did his chicken nod.

"That's Oken for ya. The prefect combination of brain and brawn." Lily scoffed.

"Yesterday you got beat up by a 7year old girl scout."

"With a black belt in Karate, Kung Fu, and Tae Kwon Doe!" Oliver retorted. Lily rolled her eyes and stood up from Miley's bed.

"Miles, the test isn't for two weeks. Take a chill pill. Besides me and _**"Ollie Trolley"**_ here have to be home for diner."

"Yeah. See you tomorrow." Oliver said as they gathered their stuff including their backpacks, helmets and skateboards. Miley ran behind them as they left.

"Well you better be ready to prep me tomorrow!" She yelled at their retreating forms. Jackson who was in the kitchen laughed.

"Why are you making such a big deal of Kunkle's test? I took it last year. It wasn't that hard."

"And this is coming from the only person in his class to _**FAIL**_ the test." Miley said while sitting at the breakfast bar and watching Jackson stir something.

"I heard Jackson, Kunkle's test, and fail in the same sentence. You must be talking about how he scored a ten when everyone else scored 80 or higher. And he only got the 10 because he knew his name was Jackson Stewart." Jackson's best friend Cooper said while entering through the backdoor. Jackson rolled his eyes.

"Whatever Coop. Look I need you to test something for me. Try this recipe for my dad's Jell-O. I think I got it right this time." Cooper and Miley both looked in the bowl.

"You should try again." They both answered.

"Why?" Jackson asked.

"Because," Cooper said while turning the bowl upside down. "Last time I checked, the Jell-O wasn't supposed to be glued to the bowl."

"In fact, that it's not supposed to look like there's glue in it either." Miley added.

"Well of course there's glue in it. How else was it supposed to stick together?"

_**LATLATLATLATLATLATLATLATLATLATLAT**_

"Can you believe how big a deal Miley's making?" Oliver asked as he and Lily skated home. Lily rolled her eyes.

"Ever since the whole Europe thing, she freaks whenever Kunkle assigns a test. Lily had streaks of red and blue in her hair that went well with her eyes. She was also wearing a green fitted blouse that brought out the speaks of green in her eyes. She had on denim Capri's that showed of her legs that went on forever.

'_**Stop!'**_ Oliver thought to himself. _**'Lily's my best friend! I can't be having thoughts like that!' **_Oliver was so busy thinking that he didn't see where he was going.

_**WHAM!**_ Right into a telephone pole. He fell backwards into the grass.

"Oliver!" He heard Lily yell. He opened his stinging eyes and saw her kneeling beside him. "Oliver, why weren't you paying attention?" She asked worriedly.

"Well I was thinking-" Oliver started but stopped. He couldn't tell her he had been thinking about her! Luckily for him, Lily had been planning to interrupt anyway.

"Didn't me, Miley, and Mr. Stewart tell you to stop doing that? Besides you've got bigger problems than thinking." Lily said while digging in her backpack and pulling out a box of tissues. She held one under his nose and gently sat him up. Oliver had suffered from chronic nosebleeds for as long as she could remember which was before Kindergarten. Oliver held the tissue there till the blood stopped about 5 minutes later.

"It's a good thing you were wearing your helmet, or we'd have e had more than a nosebleed." From Lily's pocket she pulled out a pack of moist towelets to clean his face with. Oliver gladly accepted. When he was good and clean, they started toward their houses again, Oliver determined to not look at Lily in case of more runaway telephone poles. Oliver's place came first.

"Well, see ya tomorrow Ollie Trolley." Lily teased.

"Good bye Lilly-Nilly." He replied. Oliver hugged her put honestly didn't want to let go. _**'She smells like fresh strawberries.' **_Lily realized that he was holding on longer than usual.

"Oken?"

"Hmm?"

"Ollie, release!" **(A/N Totally stole that phrase. Original line is "Lola release.")**

"Sorry. Just hungry. Look at the time. Gotta go!" He said while picking up his skateboard and running into his house.

'_**I'd say that was strange, but it is Oliver.'**_ Lily thought. She then started skateboarding toward her house again which was only about 3 blocks away. She was almost there when a car pulled up alongside her. The window rolled down to reveal a middle-aged man with freckled skin and a 5 o' clock shadow.

"Hey Lil Mama. How about a ride? We could go to the movies, get something to eat, anything you want." He said with a wink. Lily, being the tomboy she was, did the only tomboyish thing she could think of. She hacked a lugey and spit it in his eye. "Gross!" He said while closing his eyes. Lily picked up her board and ran behind a nearby house. She heard the car motor stop and the guy get out of the car.

"Here Lily, Lily. Come out and play."

'_**Do I look like some kind of dog to him?'**_ Lily wondered in her head as she heard his footsteps get closer to her right. She had two options run right, towards her house which was 3 over and risk getting caught, or run left towards Oliver's house which she could see in the distance. She went with the latter. As soon as she sped of towards Oliver's house, the man came behind the house. Lily could hear him cursing and heard him get back in his car. Lily ran and zigzagged through the trees trying to make sure he didn't see her. Lily finally reached Oliver's back door and found her ankle was in pain. _**"Probably sprained cause I didn't stretch it out before I ran a mile.'**_ She thought as she winced. She knocked on the back door and heard someone walking towards it through the kitchen. Oliver opened the door and was surprised to see Lily there, hunched over, and breathing heavily. Lily opened her mouth to explain when she saw a beat up old blue 1989 Chevy Truck stop in front of Oliver's house. She pushed Oliver inside, jumped in herself and then closed and locked the door.

"Lils?" Oliver asked as he saw Lily shaking while looking out the window. "What's going on?" Lily turned to look at Oliver.

"I don't know. This guy is following me and he knows my name." Oliver sensed the problem and pulled Lily into a comforting hug. Lily wrapped her arms around Oliver as well. _**Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.**_ They turned to look out the window and saw him looking all around, his back facing them. He seemed to pause for a second before he turned around. Lily and Oliver ducked and put their backs against the door, refusing to let the other teen go. Their knees were pulled tightly to their chests, they didn't move and they didn't dare make a sound. They heard his footsteps get closer and closer. He placed one foot on the doorstep. His hand reached to turn the doorknob. Inside, Oliver and Lily's eyes were shut, tears coming out of Lily's. The hand had grasped the door and was about to turn it.

_Kyle's mom is a bitch, she's a big fat bitch_

_She's the biggest bitch in the whole wide world_

_She's a stupid bitch, if there ever was a bitch_

_She's a bitch to all the boys and girls._

_(Shut your fucking mouth, Cartman!)'_

_**(A/N Didn't see that coming did ya?)**_

He answered his phone and seemed to forget about the door.

"Ello?" Said his scruffy voice. "No. she got away. I thought I saw her run into a house, but I'm probably wrong." There was a pause as he listened to the person on the other line. Of course we'll keep tailing her. Won't be much longer anyway." Oliver and Lily heard him hang up but still didn't move until they heard the car drive away. Oliver stood first.

"Wonder why he and whoever he was talking to are chasing you." He pondered out loud. Lily shrugged her shoulders and wiped her eyes.

"What did he mean by _**'Won't be much longer anyway'**_?" Lily asked. Oliver kneeled down to Lily who was still sitting on the floor, her eyes wide and fearful. "Ollie what's gonna happen to me?" Oliver shook his head.

"I don't know, but I promise he'll never hurt you."

"Promise?"

"Promise." Oliver said determined. Lily then began to sob in his chest. Oliver picked her up with ease and went over to the couch and sat down. He placed one hand on the back of her head and the other rubbed her back gently as he whispered soothing words in her ear. When Lily's tears had subsided, she gave Oliver a watery smile.

"Thanks. She said. "For everything." Then she did something unexpected. She kissed him on the cheek. Oliver turned a faint shade of pink and smiled in return. "Ollie, can you do one more thing for me?" Oliver nodded to show he was listening. "Get me an ice pack? I hurt my ankle sprinting to your house." Oliver nodded. He picked her up and placed her back down on the couch. He walked up to his refrigerator and opened the freezer. Lily stretched out on the couch and tried to move her ankle, making sure it wasn't broken. She guessed it was just swollen. Oliver soon came back and gently lifted Lily's feet and then placed them in his lap. He placed the ice pack on her right ankle and Lily sucked in air from the sudden attack of cold. Oliver threw the remote to her and she turned on the T.V. Freaky Friday was playing on Disney Channel. Right where Ana gets flipped over the bike racks by Stacey, the phone rang. Lily reached behind her and grabbed the phone.

"Hello. Oken Residence." Lily said. She had been answering Oliver's phone like that since she could talk. It was her mom.

"Thank god you're here. I called the house and no one answered. Then I called the Stewarts, but Mr. Stewart said you and Oliver had left 10 minutes ago." She sounded frantic.

"Mom calm down. I'm fine. Absolutely nothing happened." Oliver looked at her and raised an eyebrow. Lily sent him a look that said _**'I'll explain later.'**_ Lily's attention was then drawn back to the phone next to her ear.

"Alright, then. Be careful." She warned. Lily would usually roll her eyes, but after what happened, rolling her eyes was the farthest thing from her mind.

"I will mom." Lily said goodbye and then hung up the phone.

"So." Oliver said while removing her eyes to look at her ankle. "Why didn't you tell your mom about the guy?"

"Because she has enough to worry about. Besides, I'm Lily "Tough Girl" Truscott. I can handle him." Oliver nodded, but wasn't so sure. He hoped she was right.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**_Well, there's the first chapter! If you can tell me which High School Musical story i took the man's ringtone from, then i'll add you in my story and you'll have a major part! But i'll make it easy. The story is a HSM Chaylor fic, it's rated M, it's completed, and it's in my favorite stories. When you have the answer, send it to my e-mail with your name and a description of how you want me to describe you! Good luck! Also tell me what you think! Review! _**


	3. Oliver's Flashbacks

**_To all of my lovely reviewers, i love you all and I would be nothing without you. CYBER HUGS! Now back to the story. Here's chapter 3_**

_Lily's P.O.V._

Okay, Okay. I know what you're thinking. Why didn't I tell? It would have made my life a whole lot easier, and I could have prevented the situation I'm in now. If I had told my mom, she would have told the police, and they could have caught the guys before it got out of hand and I'd be at home in bed, instead of here waiting to die. But the worst part is Oliver didn't keep his promise to me. He said that he would never let them hurt me. And even though it wasn't intentional, he broke it. He let stupid #1 get to me and destroy my innocence. And for that I can never forgive him.

_**LATLATLATLATLATLATLATLATLATLATLAT**_

_Meanwhile back at Miley's house..._

It was unusually warm for the end of October, even though it was California. Tomorrow was Halloween and Miley, Lily and Oliver should have been making last minute adjustments to their costumes. Instead, Miley and Oliver were sitting on Miley's couch, waiting for the phone to ring, for someone to call and tell them they knew where Lily was. They had put out flyers all over California and Hannah had even motioned her at one of her live by satellite nationwide concerts. She said:

"_**Hey guys! Before I sing this next song, I'd like to say something." Then she pulled out one of the "Missing Lily" flyers they had made. "When I was on my way here, I saw this flyer about a girl whose missing named Lily Truscott. I'd be devastated if I lost someone who was close to me and I bet you would too. So, if you've seen her, or know something about her, call 804-274-9400. Or if you have information about any other missing person, don't be afraid to pick up the phone and call. Help save a life."**_

Then she sang I miss you. So far, more than 300 people had called to say they were sorry about this Lily person they had last. But no one out of those 300 calls had a single hint about Lily. It seemed people only called because Hannah told them to. Oliver's head was in his hands. He was growing more devastated with each call. This morning was 24th time her kidnappers had sent in videos to the Today Show. Lily looked worse with each appearance.

This time, her nose was bleeding along with everything else that was terrible about her. Her normally wavy straight hair was stringy and looked like she had washed it in dirt. Her clothes were torn to reveal deep cuts and bruises with disgusting colors. She looked much thinner than before her lip had also been bleeding and her left eye looked swollen.

Oliver hated watching the videos, but it was the only way to make sure she was still alive. He also hated knowing that she was hurting and there was no way that he could help her. "I'll be back." Oliver said as he stood up. Miley nodded but didn't take her eyes off the phone. Oliver left the house with his head hung. He avoided looking up, because every time he did, he was a _**"Missing Lily"**_ flyer. Besides his feet knew the path by heart. They should considering how long he had known Lily.

He reached her back door and looked up. Still in place from the last time he had used it, was a rope ladder. He never really liked to use the front door, so most of the time he used the ladder. The last time he had seen her was the day she left. They had been studying for a test, and they had fallen asleep. Lily's parents called Oliver's so they hadn't been worried when he showed up at around 7 AM the next day. He climbed up the ladder and entered through the open window. The police hadn't removed anything in fear of missing a clue. But they failed to understand that Lily hadn't been at home when she was kidnapped. She had been on her way to Oliver's house. Oliver closed his eyes and counted to 10. He did this hoping that when he opened his eyes, Lily would be sitting on her bed, showing him her latest skateboarding scab. But like every time he opened his eyes, the only thing he saw, was Lily's made bed, waiting for her to come sleep in it. Oliver walked around the room, remembering everything.

He remembered how when they were 8, Lily had turned into a tomboy and they spent 2 days painting her room from Pink to Blue. He passed a giant White teddy bear that was a tall as he was. A couple of years previously, they had had each given each other giant matching teddy bears for Christmas. In a frame on her wall was a green shirt with signatures all over it. He, Lily, and Miley had petitioned for better food. It was denied. Oliver turned to look at Lily's bed. On it was a bunch of pillows. The comforter was blue and black with stars on it. Oliver lied down on her bed and looked up.

Covering her ceiling were pictures and posters of them and celebrities that they had met as Lola Luffnagle and Mike Standlee 3. There was the Jonas Brothers, Plain White T's, Nickelback, Corbin Bleu, Vanessa Hudgens, Chris Brown and more. Oliver picked a pillow and held it to his face. It still smelled like her shampoo from the last time she was there. He turned to look at her nightstand table next to her bed, and on top were the last 2 pictures she had taken. They had both been on her birthday back in August. The first had been taken about 8 that morning. They had been decorating for the party, and her father snapped the camera. Oliver had been giving Lily a piggyback ride, and Miley was laughing at his fake looks of pain. The other had been taken at around 6:00 that evening, after the party. Oliver smiled as he remembered the second one.

"_**Bye! Thanks for coming!" and other variations of that is what Lily had been repeating for the past 10 minutes once everybody had started to leave. **_

"_**Great party Lily." Miley said while hugging her best friend after everyone had left. **_

"_**Thanks for coming." Lily responded. Miley smiled. **_

"_**Of curse I'd come. Remember you're coming over to my house for barbeque later." **_

"_**How can I forget? Oliver wouldn't stop talking about it the whole party." Miley ran back inside to get her backpack, leaving Lily and Oliver alone on her porch. "So Oliver. I got a lot of gifts, but none from you." Lily said while leaning against the railing. Oliver walked up to her. **_

"_**I've got your gift. I was just waiting for the right moment to give it to you." Oliver looked out towards the beach. The sun was setting on the water as it hit the sand. "And now's as good a time as ever." From each pocket he pulled out a small jewelry box. Which do you want first?" Lily took the one in his left hand. She opened it and inside was a gold bracelet that said "Lily-Nilly". Lily smiled at the nickname. **_

"_**Thanks." She said." **_

"_**You'll like the second one better." Oliver said while handing it to her. Lily opened it and gasped. Inside was a necklace but it was different from the first one. It was a pattern necklace. After every Peridot stone, (August birthstone) was two pearls. It was beautiful and Lily could tell that Oliver had put a lot of thought in it. Lily held it up to Oliver.**_

"_**Help me put it on?" Oliver nodded and Lily turned around, holding her hair up. Oliver missed the clasp and nearly clipped his finger three times because he was busy smelling her perfume. When he finally got it on, Lily turned back around and hugged him. **_

"_**Thanks Ollie. I love both of them. When they pulled apart they saw Miley, standing there grinning with a camera. **_

"_**What?" Lily and Oliver asked. Miley continued to smile and pointed up. Hanging above Oliver and Lily on the sun visor was a mistletoe. **_

"_**Miley, it's the middle of August!" Lily protested. **_

"_**I didn't ask what month it is! Now start smooching!" Miley said while holding up the camera. Lily and Oliver just looked at each other. "I don't have all day!" Lily and Oliver took a deep breath and they both leaned in. Snap!**_

Oliver wiped a stray tear that had escaped his left eye. When they had broken the kiss, they had both been too embarrassed to look at each other for the next two days. Oliver kept his own copy of the picture too. It was currently in his back pocket in his wallet. Oliver placed the picture back on the nightstand. He stood up from Lily's bed and breathed a deep sigh. He then walked over to the window, and climbed down, knowing in a few hours he'd be back again. Once he was down the ladder, he started down a different path. He passed people he knew, but didn't talk to them. They looked sympathetically at him. They knew it must have been torture for him and Miley. Even Amber and Ashley were being nicer. Not _**nice, **_just nicer. On his way to his next designation, he passed a cemetery. Even from the sidewalk he could see the headstone that belonged to Lily's older sister.

_**Ashley Lynn Rachel Truscott**_

_**Beloved Sister, Daughter and Friend**_

She had died when they were 10 because of a bad accident. He could still remember the terrible day at the hospital.

'_**But why? What am I supposed to do without my big sis?' Lily cried. They were in her sister Ashley's hospital room. The doctor's told Ashley and Ashley decided that she wanted to be the one to break it to her little sister. She had lost so much blood before they reached the hospital, that it was a miracle that she was still alive now. **_

'_**Lils, you'll be fine. Don't worry. You have mom, dad, and Oliver.' **_

'_**But I want you!' With that, Lily ran from the room crying and her parents went after her. Oliver who had been standing in the corner the whole time turned to leave too. **_

'_**Oliver! Wait!' Ashley said. Oliver slowly turned around to face her. He was really uncomfortable being in the room with a dying person. Ashley smiled that the boy in front of her. He was going to be a real cutie when he got older. 'Come here.' Oliver timidly walked towards her until he was close enough for her to grab his hand. **_

'_**Lily is really special to me. And you're her best friend. And even though she'll probably never admit it, you're her rock. You keep her sane. And if she's anything like me, she'll need to be kept sane at all times. But Oliver, I want you to promise me something.' Ashley said in all seriousness. She was getting weak fast, and knew she didn't have long. Oliver looked at her. After a couple of moments, he nodded slowly. **_

'_**Okay. What is it?' He tentatively asked. **_

'_**I need you to promise me that you'll take care of her.' She knew that making a 10 year old promise something like that was a bit risky, but she needed to know that Oliver would help her sister. Especially to get through her death.**_

'_**I don't know if I can. That's a pretty big responsibility.' Oliver stated.**_

'_**Oliver, please. Take care of Lily.' Oliver avoided her eyes for about 10 seconds before looking in them. They were blue like Lily's, and had the same effect that hers did. The effect that could make him do anything she wanted. Oliver sighed in defeat.**_

"_**I promise to take care of Lily.' He said. Ashley did a small smirk. He'll have his hands full with her. She closed her eyes and lied back. The heart monitor stopped and Oliver felt the warmth and grip slowly leave her hand. He exited her room and went to find Lily and her parents in the waiting room. They looked up when he entered. He shook his head. Lily ran over to him and hugged him. Oliver ran his hand up and down her back while saying soothing words. While Lily damped his shirt, he thought back to his last words to her sister. 'I promise to take care of Lily.' And at that moment, he promised that he'd follow it through.**_

Oliver shook his head and tried to get rid of the memories that had began to darken his days the more he thought about them. Knowing that he had broken the promise to take care of Lily from her sister, and the promise to make sure that no one hurt her to Lily herself, just made the kidnapping all the more personal. As he thought more about his two broken promises, the sky seemed to reflect his pain. The sky opened up and it began to pour. The rain was like the tears and the hurt that he honestly didn't want anyone to see. His feet eventually lead him to the woods. He moved branches and twigs out of the way until eventually he arrived at a very large oak tree. In was in the middle of a clearing and it was impossible to tell that it was pouring down rain under the large oak tree, was a shrine Oliver had made for Lily.

Not many people knew that Oliver and Lily actually meet under this oak tree. Oliver smiled at the thought.

'_**MOMMY!' A three year old Oliver yelled. He had seen a shiny bug, and followed it, causing him to leave the campsite his parents were at. He got tired, and sat under a giant tree. He waited a couple of seconds before wailing at the top of his lungs. 'MOMMY! DADDY! Where are yous!' When no one responded, he bent his head and began to softly cry. Suddenly he heard a voice behind him. **_

'_**Why you crying?' Oliver turned around to see a girl around his age sanding behind the tree. She had shoulder length blonde hair, and blue eyes. She walked over and sat down next to him. 'You not hear me? I say why you crying.' Oliver sniffled.**_

'_**I'm not crying. I'm sniffing. Why you here anyway?'**_

'_**I lost. Why you here?'**_

'_**I lost too. My name Oliver.' Oliver said while holding out his hand. The girl smiled and shook it.**_

'_**I Lily. If we both lost, what we do?' Oliver raised his shoulders.**_

'_**I donna know. Lily, wanna be friends?' Lily grinned to show teeth were coming in. **_

'_**I like that. Best friends?'**_

'_**Best friends.' Oliver and Lily looked at each other for a second.**_

'_**So.' Lily said.**_

'_**So.' Oliver repeated. **_

'_**What we do now?' **_

Their parents found the two asleep about 2 hours later. They had been friends since. Under the tree was a picture of Lily that Oliver had taken on the first day of middle school. Around the picture were different scented candles and white roses, which were Lily's favorite flower. There was also her favorite teddy bear, Mr. Snuffles. Hanging on the tree was a banner that said _**"Bring Her Home" **_Oliver lied back on the grass and looked up at the tree branches. He looked to his right and saw the grass and the other trees that surrounded the clearing. He imagined Lily lying there smiling back at him. He then turned to her left and saw the shrine on the tree. He saw a black coffin with a preacher standing over it and a bunch of people crying. _**'Poor Lily. She was such a sweet girl. Her death was worse than her sister's.' **_Oliver shook his head.

'_**No.' **_He thought. _**'That's not gonna happen. Lily's going to come home and she's going to be safe. I'll make sure of it if it's the last thing I do.' **_

**_Well there you have it! What do you think! Review please! And Lily's necklace will be on my profile._**


	4. Hold On Author's Note! HP's comming soon

**HELLO PRETTY PEOPLE! I am currently writing the 4****th**** chapter and I just wanted to give a shout 2 all my lovely reviewers! I love YOU! And also look forward to meeting a new character. Her name is Mariah St. James. Don't cha love that name? Anyway, she will be in the same position as Lily. That's right. She's getting kidnapped also. Aren't I mean? But her reason for getting kidnapped will be difrent from Lily's. You'll find out why and how Lily was kidnapped in either the 4****th****, or the 5****th**** chapter. I just wanted to say tahnk you all for being paitent as I am a very slow typer and writer, but expect big plans for the future! And once again, I love you all! Cyber hugs and kisses!**_**(Unless you're not into that type of thing. **__****_

_Adios mi amigas and mi amigos!_

_Ti amor!_

_P.S. If you were wondering what happened to Lily's older sister, I meant to put she had been in a bad car accident. I just forgot the car._


	5. Mariah and Some New Info

_**Chap. 5-Mariah and Some New Info**_

"Oh, Lily. We brought someone for you to meet." Lily tried to crawl deeper under the stairs. The voice made her heart stop every time she heard it, after a door was opened. It rarely meant food, and mostly meant pain and misery for the next few hours. This time was different. She heard him throw something down the stairs. Lily at first ignored it, and tried to sleep until it let out a groan. She slowly crept out a little from her hiding place, to see what it was. In the light from the crack in the door, she could see whatever it was get up and try to stand up.

"Hello?" The thing said. Lily realized it was a girl. She stood up carefully from her hiding place and responded,

"Hi, what's your name?" The girl jumped shocked that there was someone down there with her. In the dim light, Lily saw the girl smile.

"Mariah. Mariah St. James. I can't really see you. Come closer to the light." She said. Lily hesitated before slowly limping to where Mariah stood. Mariah had long curly brown hair with bangs that framed her face nicely. Her skin was a bit orange and she spoke with an Italian accent. She was wearing a black tube top with jeans that had holes where her knees were. On her feet were black flip-flops. She looked about Lily's age. Mariah squinted and gasped. "Oh my god! You're Lily Truscott!" Lily was confused how this girl knew who she was, so she just nodded.

"Yeah, that's me. Are you okay? It must have hurt when you fell down the stairs." Mariah shook her head.

"I'll be fine in about 30 seconds, but you've been in pain for like the past month!" Lily unconsciously took a step back. Now she was really freaked out on how this girl knew whom she was.

"How do you know who I am?" Mariah's shocked expression became a confused one.

"Everyone who watches the today show knows who you are." You've been on it for almost a month. Didn't you know that?" Lily shook her head while she put 2 and 2 together.

'_**So that's what the camera was for." **_Lily thought._** "Those bastards have been sending in videos.' **_

"Your friends and family have been looking for you." Mariah said bringing Lily from her thoughts.

"What?" Lily asked.

"They're looking for you. They were on the _**Today Show**_ like last week. Your parents, a girl with brown hair named Miley, and a really cute guy named Oliver. And then another time they were at your house. You don't happen to know Hannah Montana do you?"

Lily half shrugged. "A little. Why?"

"Because she announced that you were missing at one of her Live Satellite feed concerts." Lily smiled at that. Lily decided to sit down and rest her already bruised legs, and after a moment of hesitation, so did Mariah.

"So I've really been on the news?" Lily asked amazed at how cut off from the world she had been. Mariah's brown locks bounced up and down as she nodded.

"Like crazy. You can't turn a channel without seeing a commercial about you, the news reporting updates about you, or playing some song dedicated to you. The police are completely baffled on how you got kidnapped and no one saw. How did you get kidnapped anyway?" Mariah asked. Lily sighed and ran her fingers through her hair.

"Well, what happened was…"

_**Flashback**_

"_**Oliver! The video game cannot be that cool! Hang on, I'll be there in a minute! Bye!" Lily closed her phone, put it in her pocket, and started toward Oliver's house. When he had gotten home after a visit to his Aunt Harriet, he found the newest video game, a present from his grandmother, that hadn't even been released in stores yet. The problem was he couldn't play it though, because it was 2 players and nobody else was at his house, and Miley was preparing for a concert. Lily thought that since he wouldn't shut up about it, that walking slow and making him wait to play it was the perfect kind of torture. **_

_**While walking towards his house, her 6**__**th**__** sense kept going off. But every time she turned around, no one would be there. When Lily was close enough, she could see Oliver pacing his front porch. She rolled her eyes and took out her phone to call him when she felt arms wrap around her waist and lift her off the ground, causing her to drop her phone. Before she could scream though, one of the arms covered her month and dragged her behind a house. Unfortunately, Oliver chose that moment to look down the street; right after Lily was pulled out of sight. **_

_**When Lily was pulled behind the house, standing there, rubbing his hands, was the guy from the car, grinning like he just won the lottery. "Lily. So nice to see you again. So sorry I didn't have the opportunity to introduce myself properly. My name is Matthew the man holding you is my twin Alex." Lily glared at him while she struggled. Then she swung her leg out and kicked him. He doubled over in pain and then Lily bit the hand that was covering her mouth. **_

"_**Ouch!" Alex yelled. Lilly untangled herself from his arms and screamed, **_

"_**Oliver!" She ran back to the sidewalk, but before she could scream again, Matthew caught her and covered her face with a rag. Lily kept struggling but soon the bleach began to kick in ad she became dizzy before finally blacking out. **_

"Next thing I know, I'm here on the cold floor." Lily finished explaining. Mariah breathed out a sigh and shook her head.

"Wow. That Oliver guy has been completely depressed." They sat in silence for a while, Lily debating whether or not to ask the question she wanted to know. Her curiosity finally won the battle, and she asked.

"What about you? How'd you get here?"

"_**I'll call you later, okay, chica?" **__**(A/N That means girl for you non-Spanish speakers)**__** James, Mariah's boyfriend, said as he pulled her close. Mariah smiled as he wrapped his arms around her. She loved the fuzzy feeling she got and how she felt in his arms. She always felt safe and content. Tomorrow would be their 6**__**th**__** month anniversary, and she had been saying up for his present. It was a sports watch that had black and white stripes on the band. In the center was a digital alarm clock and it also had his name on his favorite things in the world other than her, a soccer ball. She could feel the box it was in pressing against her back in her purse-backpack thing. She grinned picturing his reaction when she gave it to him. When he finally let go, he kissed her gently one more time, before getting into his car and driving off, waving as he turned the corner. **_

_**Mariah sighed and pulled out her phone. She was checking her to-do list as she turned in the opposite direction, walking towards her neighborhood. As she almost rounded the corner, she heard two voices arguing. She would have ignored it, but something they said made her stop in her tracks. "Matt, this is a bad idea. We should just let the girl go."**_

"_**No we shouldn't. If we let her go, we lose everything." **_

"_**What are we gaining by keeping her?" **_

"_**Knowing that her father is suffering. Our brother died with a broken heart because of him. Or have you forgotten?" This voice sounded angry. **_

"_**We promised our brother that we'd hurt him deep for it. We already go rid of the older daughter, now we just have to dispose of Lily!" Mariah's shock got the best of her and she gasped. She heard them stop talking and turn in her direction. **_

"_**Uh, oh." She whispered before running off, Alex and Matthew nor far behind. She hid behind a few bushes and heard them run by. After a few minutes thinking they had gone, she got out, cursing herself for dropping her phone. Just as she was walking to go get it, a scarf covered her mouth and she felt them tie it. Then she felt her arms being tied as she screamed and kicked and struggled to get free. She was then thrown into a bag and dragged to a car. When she was in the car she stopped fighting, knowing she had lost and silently cried to sleep.**_

"I'm so sorry." Lily said from lack of having anything else to say. Mariah nodded and wiped her eyes of the few tears that had escaped.

"I'm sorry about your sister."

"Yeah. Since I was 10, I always thought that it was an accident. Now to find out it was planned…and because of my father too." The teens sat in silence while contemplating the info they found out.

_**LATLATLATLATLATLATLATLATLATLATLAT**_

_Drip. Drip. Drip. _Went the faucet. No matter how tight you'd tighten it, it would still drip. Alexander Simmons was glad when it stopped, but groaned and placed his head on the table when it started again. He was exhausted. Kidnapping, stealing, cheating and hurting innocent kids was draining. He got up from his seat and walked up the creaking stairs to the bathroom. He opened the file cabinet and pulled out the small bottle of aspirin. He took two before placing his hands on the edge of the sink and staring at his reflection in the mirror.

His sandy brown hair was messy. Hazel eyes, bloodshot red. He had stubble on his upper lip, chin and sides of his face. His clothes were shabby and wrinkled. His eyes changed from his mirror image, to a picture in the corner. On it was he and two others who looked just like him, his twins Matthew and Virgil. Virgil had committed suicide about a year before he and Matthew killed Ashley. Virgil had been in love with Lily's mother since he had met her, when they were in the 6th Grade. She was one of the few people including his family, who could tell the triplets apart.

He told his best friend about his crush on her for years, but when he finally got the courage to ask her out in their Junior year of High School, his friend, Lily's dad had beat him to it. They got married, had Ashley and Lily, and got divorced, ripping out Virgil's heart even more. _Revenge, _was what Virgil made his twins swear the day he died. _Revenge, _was why he was in this house in the middle of nowhere. And _Revenge, _was why a 14-year-old girl lay scarred below him. And to think. All this trouble because of a girl and the boy who couldn't win her heart.


	6. The Two Pictures

"How could this happen? I literally just saw her. I dropped her off two days ago!" James yelled frantically to a police officer and the detective sitting across from him. Being the last to actually see or communicate with Mariah, he was the prime suspect. As soon as her parents had sent out a missing person's ad, James had gone to her parents, then the Police station, pleading his case.

"I love her. I would never dream of hurting her, I care about her too much." James now had his hands folded on the table in front of his face, while he fought back the tears. "I mean seriously. Look at what I got her for our 6th month anniversary." From his backpack he pulled out two boxes. The detective opened one and it, was a locket. Inside was a picture of Mariah and James, taken on their first date. In the second box, was a ring. It was gold with a red jewel in the middle that shined all around the walls beautifully when the light hit it just right. Inscribed were the words, _**I will love you for now, and forever. –James **_

"You bought her a promise ring?" the police officer asked, while placing it back in the box. "How long have ago did you buy this thing, son?"

"I got it the day she disappeared, but I had to put in the order and the inscription about two months ago." The police nodded and handed the two boxes back.

"You may go now, son. We have no more questions." The detective said. James nodded, dried his face on his sleeve, picked up his bookbag, and headed toward the door. Before he opened it, he turned around and stopped.

"As soon as you find out anything, _**anything, **_you'll tell me, right?"

"You'll be the second to know, after her parents of course." James nodded and walked out of the interrogation room. As soon as the door closed, the police officer asked,

"Well, do you think he did it and he's just lying to cover up the crime?" The detective took a seat on the table and took of his hat.

"To tell you the truth Sal, I think he was being genuine." The officer named Sal scoffed.

"Come on, Dave. He's the hottest guy in his school, he's the quarterback, he's 16 and thinks he's king of the world. He's dating a 14-year-old girl, which first of all is strange. Second of all, if she's as innocent as her parents and friends say, then I'm more than sure that she wasn't planning on giving it up for him. Who's to say that he didn't go into a fit of rage, and killed her and is currently hiding the body? He could have bought the ring today for all we know as well as the locket! Who's to say he didn't practice and rehearse that speech and those tears weren't all part of an act?" Dave the Detective chuckled.

"That's one of the differences between you and me, Sal. You always look for the worst in suspects. Me, I look for the best _**along **_with the worst." The police officer sighed and paced before speaking again.

"But who's to say he's not lying?"

"I don't think he would have punched one of his own friends in the face in full view of a teacher if he was lying." Sal opened his mouth to ask a question, but was silenced by Dave's hand. "I had a feeling you would feel this way. So yesterday, I followed him around his school. He looked depressed and moody. He didn't eat, he didn't goof off, he didn't laugh. I don't even think he smiled. Well he and his friends were hanging around before school ended, and one of his friends goes 'I bet you're happy you don't have to worry about that freshman chasing you anymore.' James glared at him, but didn't speak, so his friend continued. He then said, 'I didn't think she was all that pretty anyway. But there had to be a reason you kept chasing her. I gotta say, she's got a killer body. Nice job.' James clenched his fists, but once again did not speak. But what his friend said next drove him off the edge." The detective stopped here. Sal stared at him for a while and Dave stated back.

"Well,"

"Well what?" Dave asked innocently.

"What did his friend say?"

"He said, 'Hopefully you scored before she disappeared, but I bet she was bad anyways.' He snapped. James jumped up, punched him, and looked ready to pummel him to a pulp, if the rest of his friends weren't holding him back. Then as a teacher rushed over he started yelling, _**'Don't you EVER talk about Mariah like that! She is amazing, and wonderful, a better person than you could ever wish to be. I swear if you ever talk like that about her again, I will kill you, do you hear me? KILL YOU!' **_So no, I don't think he was lying, and I think that he honestly has no idea where she is." Dave said while putting his hat back on and standing up.

"You know, one of these days Sal, you're going to learn to see and not know. You've been on the police force for 20 years now, and more than half of the time, it is the teenage boy in a fit of rage. But, you can't always assume. See, don't know." Dave said before walking out the door, leaving Sal confused.

"I will never understand that man." Sal said to the air, before leaving himself.

_**LATLATLATLATLATLATLATLATLATLATLAT**_

"Oken. Oken. OKEN!" Oliver snapped out of his daze as Miley hit him on the back. They were in Study Hall, and he had been thinking about what he'd always been thinking about lately, Lily. The teacher had been calling him for a full 10 minutes now. He walked up to her desk, and she also motioned over Miley.

"I just got off the phone with the Main Office. They want to see you both now, and they said to take your stuff." The two nodded confused, but gathered their things all the same and hurried out of the room.

"What do you think it's for?" Miley asked. Oliver shrugged as he dragged his feet. Beside him, Miley sighed. It had been pretty quiet between the two. Lily had usually been making some kind of noise.

When they got the main office, they were ushered into the principal's office. Inside were the principal and two men they didn't recognize.

"Here they are." The principal said to the two men. "Miley Stewart and Oliver Oken. Lily's best friends. Mr. Oken, Ms. Stewart, I'd like you both to meet Detective Dave and Sal, the police officer. Don't worry you're not in trouble, they just want to ask you some questions. I'll be out in the hallway if you need me." With that he exited his office. Dave sat on the desk, while Sal stood next to it, crossed his arms, and looked haughty.

"So how long have you both known Lily?" Oliver sighed, and leaned back in his chair.

"Well, I've known her since I moved here about 4 years ago, and Oliver's know her since they were three." Miley answered. Dave looked at Oliver.

"Is that true?" He asked. Oliver nodded.

"Yeah, we got lost in the woods and meet under a tree. Been friends since then." Dave nodded and wrote something on his pad of paper. Sal sighed.

"Look. I'm going to get right to the reason why we're here. Do you two know a girl named Mariah Antoinette St. James, 14-years-old, family is Italian, currently dating a 16-year-old named James Blake, lives in San Diego, California?" Miley and Oliver shook their heads.

"Why do you guys need to know?" Oliver asked.

"Because she was recently abducted, and Sal and I think that she was taken by the same people who took Lily." At this, Oliver and Miley who hadn't really been paying attention, shot up out of their seats.

"You found her?" They both yelled at the same time causing Sal to jump back, and Dave to jump off the desk.

"Not yet. But don't get discouraged, because we're currently working on it, and I'm more than sure we're almost there. Now there's someone we want you to meet." Dave walked over to a door in the back of the office, and came back with a 16-year-old. He had short brunette hair and had blue eyes, to rival that of Lily's. He was muscled and obviously into sports. Miley probably would've been drooling over him if this were any other time.

"Oliver, Miley, this is James Blake, Mariah's boyfriend. James, this is Oliver Oken and Miley Stewart, Lily's best friends." James nodded in acknowledgment and Miley and Oliver did the same. James looked as in a bad shape as Oliver, if not worse.

"Now," Sal began while reaching into his pocket. "Do you three recognize these phones?" He asked while pulling out two from his pocket. One was an O-Phone, with sparkles on it, and the other was a black razor with flowers on it.

"The O-Phone's Lily's." Miley said.

"And the razor's Mariah's." James added. Sal handed the phones to the two guys.

"We decided that you guys should keep them until they're found." Oliver and James exchanged a small, sad smile with each other. Sal and Dave began to talk but neither boy was listening. They were two busy investigating the phones. They were scowling through the pictures, when they both stopped. There was a picture that neither recognized. IT was of a man with hazel eyes, sandy brown hair, and clear skin. When the pictures were pushed in zoom, it was found that the each man was wearing a nametag. Oliver and James gasped. They had their first clues to solving the mystery.

**__**

**_NOW HOW ABOUT A REVIEW?_**


	7. Exhaustion

**Don't own. Wish i did.**

"Thanks Ann. Now for our next story, it is day 40 in the search for Lillian Truscott, the 14-year-old teenager from Malibu, California. Luckily for us, there is no tape today. Unfortunately for us, the police still don't have a lead on where she is. But, new information from Cell phones just might be the key they were looking for. We'll be back after this."

"And cut." The director of the _**Today Show**_ yelled to Matt Lauer, and Meredith Vieira. They got up and walked over to Oliver, Miley, Lily's father Dave, her mother Heather, and the Chief of Police in Malibu William, who had been sitting in chairs by the director.

"Welcome back." Meredith said while she and Matt shook each of their hands.

"Wish I could say that this was a good occasion to be back." Dave said while shaking Meredith's hand. Everyone else nodded in agreement.

"Well, why don't we get you hooked up and put your microphones on and get you on stage, huh?" The director asked. Without waiting for an answer, he led Dave, Heather and William towards the AV part of the studio, and Miley and Oliver sank back into the chairs.

"We are back on live in 5…4…3..." The director counted down. He mouthed two and one before pointing at them to go.

"Welcome back, and in case you missed us before we left, we told you that we may just have found our first clue in finding the missing 14-year-old, Lillian Truscott from Malibu, California." Meredith said while shuffling the papers in her hands.

"Ann Curry is currently with Lily's parents Dave and Heather Truscott, and the Malibu Chief-of-Police, William Monroe. Ann?" The cameraman swivelled the camera around to face the 4 adults sitting on the 2 couches on another set.

"Thanks, Matt. So, first of all, I want to welcome you back to the show, Dave and Heather. I just wish that is was in better circumstances."

"So do we." Heather responded.

"But, that's not the reason you're here. You have good news, right?" Dave nodded.

"Probably for the first time in our lives, we are glad that Lily has a cell phone with a camera on it." Ann's eyebrows knotted in confusion.

"And why is that?" She asked. William took this as an opportunity to jump in.

"Lily, like any other teenager in the world with a cell phone, had it on her at all times. Including, when she was kidnapped. It was the only thing found at the crime scene. And after some further searching, we may have found a clue."

"And what is that clue?" Dave answered this one.

"Well, one of her best friends Oliver,-"Ann Curry interrupted as she crossed her legs.

"Oliver? He's been on the show before, right? The boy with the black hair?" Dave nodded and continued.

"Yeah, that's him. Anyway he was just looking through her phone, you know. Looking at messages, wallpapers, that sort of thing. And then he started looking through her pictures. And one of the pictures he found was of someone he didn't know, and we know that Lily didn't know."

"And since her other best friend didn't recognize him either, there is an eighty-eight percent chance that that is our kidnapper. Later, Oliver identified him as someone who had been chasing Lily the first day." Ann nodded.

"I'm also hearing that another kidnapping-the one of 14 year old Mariah St. James from San Diego, California-might be connected to this case. Is that true?" William nodded.

"That is true. Just like with Lily, Mariah's cell phone was examined, but this time by her boyfriend, James. Almost the same picture was found. The men in both pictures had the same eyes, same hair, and the same face, and the same shirt except on each shirt was a different name."

"So what you are saying is that these kidnappings are not only related, but there are two people involved?"

"That is our guess. We think that it may be a set of twins, explaining why the tags on each shirt had a different name. But it also could be the same guy, wearing the same shirt, but with a different name. It also could be more than two people; your guess is as good as mine."

"Well I wish you luck on your search for girls, Mr. Monroe, and my best wishes to you Dave and Heather." Everyone nodded and she turned back to face the camera. "Back to Matt and Meredith."

"Thank you Ann, and good luck to all three of you." Meredith said.

"When we come back, the follow-up of a story we did a while ago. The cat that sees death. And now, your neighbourhood news." Matt added.

"We're clear." The director yelled. Oliver didn't really think they were clear, especially his head. It had been foggy since Lily left. And it wouldn't be clear until Lily was in his arms. And only his.

_**LATLATLATLATLATLATLATLATLATLATLAT**_

"And one time, Oliver tried to potty train his little cousin." Lily said giggling from the memory.

"What happened?" Mariah asked.

"He became the human toilet and smelled like pee for a week." Mariah snorted.

"I've got one. Once, James was climbing a tree and he fell on his head." Lily gasped.

"Was he okay?" Mariah nodded.

"He was fine. He just had amnesia for a few days. He thought he was beautiful ballerina. He was actually pretty good. I'm tellin' ya, Lily. You don't know a guy till you have seen him spin in tights, performing the girl part from swan lake. So, you got a boyfriend back home?" Lily shook her head.

"I haven't had the best luck with guys, especially since starting high school. I was cheated on by one, changed my look for and was then dumped by another, and one who moved without telling me. I found out two day after our date from his best friend." Both girls rolled their eyes. Just then Mariah's stomach growled.

"Sorry. I haven't eaten since I was taken and I guess I'm little hungry." Lily bit her lip. She then looked up at the small window high up on the wall. The light that usually shone through from the sun was gone, so Lily could tell it was after the sun had gone down. The window was so far up that it was only inches away from the ceiling, which was about 7 feet up. She slowly and carefully got up and staggered over to the stairs and as quietly as she could, up them. Mariah followed a confused expression on her face. When they got to the door, they stopped.

"What are you doing?" Mariah asked as Lily reached her hand back into her hair. When it came out, in her hand was a hair pin. She began to pick the lock.

"Well you said you were hungry," The lock opened and Lily quietly opened the door. "So let's get some food." When the door opened, Mariah got her first look. It was pretty well furnished. Living room full of stuff. Chairs, 2 sofas, paintings. If you didn't know what was actually going on in the house, you might assume somebody decent actually lived there. Directly across from the basement door was a counter and under it was a same table and chair. Behind the counter was the refrigerator. Lily began to crawl out the door. But stopped and looked around. She paused for a second before breathing a sigh of relief.

"It's safe. Come on." She began to crawl again, with Mariah a few steps behind. When she was completely out the door, she looked towards the living room and saw what had made Lily freeze. On the sofa, looking right at her, was one of her kidnappers. They stared at each other for a while, before he let out a rippling snore.

"That's just Alex. Don't worry. He's asleep." Lily whispered. Mariah stared at her like she was crazy.

"What are you talking about? His eyes are wide open!"

"He sleeps with his eyes open. Now come on before he actually wakes up." She began to crawl towards the refrigerator again, Mariah following, her eyes still on Alex. They got there and opened the fridge slightly. It was stocked with beer bottles and coke and sprite cans. No food.

Lily closed it and opened the cabinet next to it. It was full of junk food. Doritos, chips, bags full of candy, it was like every child's dream. They each quickly picked a random bag and began to crawl back to the basement.

"Couldn't we just go out the front door?" Mariah asked as they passed it. Lily shook her head.

"There's an alarm on it. If you even touch it, it will go off." They kept crawling till they were back in the basement. Lily looked back to see if Alex was still there and he was. She nodded and closed the door. As soon as it closed, Alex stood up and began to walk up the stairs. This was the 4th time this month he had caught Lily sneaking out of the basement. His brother had no idea this was even going on and he didn't plan on telling him. He couldn't take much more of this. The sooner his brother got his revenge, the better. The stress was getting to Alex, and he didn't know if he could last much longer.

**Review and you get a virtual cookie...**


	8. Alex's Plan Begins

**_Virtual hugs and kisses to you all!!!_**

"Is this how you guys search for the criminals on America's Most Wanted?" James asked. He, Oliver, Miley, and all their parents were currently in a large room underground. Everywhere you looked was some sort of computer and technological equipment that was blinking, beeping, or doing something weird. Oliver had been counting how many computers there were total. He lost count at 43. At every computer sat two people with headsets on, each typing fast on their own keyboard. Sitting at the main computer and who James had just asked the question two was John Walsh.

"Pretty much. This is our main base. All the criminals we've found, the ones we haven't, and everyone involved in the crime, all of their names are kept here." He stood up from the computer and stretched. They'd all been there for at least two hours. "How about we go get some ice cream? It's slightly depressing down here, don't you think?"

"It's slightly depressing up there, Sir." Oliver answered. John patted him on the back but didn't respond. They all headed toward the elevator and rode in silence. When they finally reached the stop, the doors opened and they all had to squint from the light of the sun.

"Come on, let's all go this way. I know this place just down the block that makes the world's best ice cream. Adam used to always beg to go there." The sentence slipped out of John's mouth before he could stop it. For a second, his face darkened and Oliver could clearly see the pain, worry and stress that he himself was currently going through. Before anyone else could though, He was gesturing them towards the elevator. Once they were al inside he pushed the button and the door closed on them.

_**LATLATLATLATLATLATLATLATLATLATLAT**_

"I know you guys miss them, but watching ice cream melt isn't gonna help." Miley said as she looked between Oliver and James, who hadn't even ordered their own ice cream. She had to order it for them, and they hadn't even tasted it.

"Mariah used to love strawberry ice cream." James said.

"Lily did too." Oliver added. Miley sighed and got up, walking till she was standing behind John.

"Mr. Walsh, I don't think this was such a good idea. They're both still depressed." John turned around in his seat and looked at the two boys who were indeed watching the ice cream melt. He sighed.

"I think you're right, Miley. This wasn't a good idea. Let's go." He got up and motioned for his wife to do the same. The party left, all with sorrow filled eyes.

_**LATLATLATLATLATLATLATLATLATLATLAT**_

"How long did you know Mariah?" Oliver asked James. They were currently in Oliver's backyard swinging in two of the three hammocks. James took a sip of his soda and swung back and forth.

"Her sister used to tutor my sister so that's how we met. But I didn't really like her till this past summer when I actually started hanging out with her. I could tell her things I couldn't tell my parents, or my friends. And then one day I just, asked her out. As you can guess, my friends weren't exactly thrilled." The two swung in silence for a while.

"Why did you ask her out?" Oliver asked.

"She was different. Every other girl has just wanted me so they could run off and tell stories to their friends. My rep isn't the cleanest." Another sip was taken. "What about you? When did you ask out Lily?"

"Didn't." Oliver said while staring at the ground. James sat up.

"What?"

"Never asked her out." James stared at Oliver who refused to meet his gaze.

"Why?" Oliver shrugged. He had been wondering the same thing for the past few months.

"Didn't realize that I liked her till it was too late I guess." Oliver asked. James nodded in understanding and the silence started again. Oliver sighed.

"Lily used to love watching the stars. She'd climb out of her window and onto her roof in the middle of the night when she couldn't sleep. She'd sit on her roof for hours just staring." James sat and listened to him rattle on, not sure if he was talking to him or to himself.

"She'd take pictures on her phone and send them to me. They always looked the same, always the same angle, and the same exact Malibu houses in the picture as well, but she'd still send them to me every time. The smart thing would have been to turn off my phone at night, but for some reason I never did." James interrupted him.

"Did you ever ask her why?"

"Once. She said because it reminded her that there was something bigger than us."

"That's a Hannah Montana song." James interjected. Oliver arched an eyebrow. "Mariah's a fan of hers." He explained. Oliver smiled.

"Lily's her biggest. Knows everything about her." James smirked.

"Bet Mariah could give her a run for her money." He said while drinking some more of his soda.

"We should definitely get them together when they're found." James smiled.

"You sound confident."

"Somebody's gotta be."

"Touché." Just then, Oliver's mom walked outside.

"Ollie, James. Come inside. Dinner." The two got out of their hammocks and headed back inside.

"Thanks for letting me stay here while we search Mr. and Mrs. Oken. Both my parents and I appreciate it." James said as the two of them entered the living room. Sarah Oken smiled.

"It's no problem James, really. You're welcome for as long as you like. And we enroll you at the high school tomorrow morning. Your parents sent your stuff this morning." She replied as she placed a spoonful of Spaghetti on his plate.

"I always wanted a big brother." Oliver said with a grin. James grinned back.

"You got one."

_**LATLATLATLATLATLATLATLATLATLATLAT**_

'_Swear it." Virgil croaked while reaching a hand towards Alex and another towards Matt. "Swear you will take my revenge." Matt nodded and Alex stayed silent while desperately trying to not look at the mangled body of his brother on the ground. He had shot himself twice in both of his legs, his spine and once in the head. With each passing second his breath got slower and raspier. Alex thought he was going to be sick. Both his and Matt's shirts were drenched in Virgil's blood. Matt gripped his dying brother's hand._

"_I swear. Whatever it takes. I swear I'll do it." Matt turned to look at Alex. "We'll do it." Alex shook his head. _

"_I can't, Virg. I can't. This is insane. Don't make me. Please." He begged as the tears began to spill. Virgil weakly lifted his hand and placed it on Alex shoulder. _

"_Alex. Please. He was my best friend. I trusted him. And he stabbed me in the back. And if that wasn't enough, he broke her heart and divorced her. He deserves to be hurt like I am." Alex shook his head. _

"_But since they are no longer together, wouldn't it make more sense to date her now instead of committing suicide and going through with your crazy idea?" Virgil sighed. _

"_Alex. Please. I'm your brother. This is all I want. Please." Alex looked at his brother and regretfully nodded. Virgil smiled weakly before his eyes rolled in the back of his head. Alex closed his eyes and sighed as the tears continued to fall. _

"_I promise." _

Alex woke with a start and threw up in the trash can he confidently kept next to his bed. Ever since his brother's death, he had been having that same dream again and again and again. He sighed as he laid back on his bed. Every night he just got closer to running down the stairs unlocking the basement and letting the two girls go. The only thing that seemed to stop him each night was the fact that if he even thought about ruining the plan, his brother would kill him.

"Alex? You okay, man?" Alex rolled his eyes as his brother entered and sat on the edge of his bed.

"I'm fine." Matt arched an eyebrow.

"Really? So I just imagined you throwing up a second ago?" Alex sat u and glared at his brother.

"I'm fine. Drop it." Matt held his hands up in surrender.

"Whatever you say. Don't forget we have a taping tomorrow." He said as he moved to leave, but was stopped by Alex placing a hand on his shoulder.

"About that. Maybe we shouldn't." Matt laughed.

"That's funny. For a second I thought you were serious." He said.

"I am serious." Matt squinted at his brother and all humor disappeared from his face.

"Well you can't be serious because if you were, that would mean ruining all of our hard work." Alex snorted.

"What work? Kidnapping, assault, attempted rape?" Alex's voice grew louder with every word. He began pacing back and forth across his room, as Matt watched him. "This is wrong. If we get caught, we are heading for the electric chair."

"We won't get caught." Matt interjected.

"Even if we don't, what happens when this is all over? Huh? Do we get jobs? Act as if this whole operation never happened?" Matt nodded.

"Yeah, pretty much." Alex glared at his brother, furious with how he was taking the whole situation so lightly.

"You are unbelievable." Alex said while sitting back down on his bed. Matt placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I know." He turned to leave again, but Alex stopped him again.

"I seriously don't think we should do a taping tomorrow."

"Once again, why?" Alex looked down at his hands as he thought of a liable excuse to give his brother.

"Well…if we make a tape tomorrow, the today show will get it within two days. On time. Like they usually do." Matt nodded at his brother's stating of facts he already knew.

"Yeah, so?" As Alex continued to talk, he stood up.

"Well, if we wait awhile before sending the next one in, it'll throw everyone off. It'll get us out of routine and frighten them more." Matt's annoyed look soon melted into a mischievous grin as his brother finished his speech.

"I always knew there was a criminal in you somewhere. It's about time he came out. It's settled then. We film a week from now, and we can introduce our new little catch." He said while heading towards the door again, and this time Alex let him go. Before he closed it behind him, he popped his head back in. "Good to see your finally on board, bro. Virgil would be proud." With that he smiled and exited, allowing Alex to let out a sigh he wasn't aware he was holding.

He ran a hand through his hair, satisfied at what he had just done and the real reason as to why he wanted to postpone the taping. This bought both Lily and Mariah a week free of pain. And it also bought him another week to think of a plan to get out of his current situation. He hoped it only took a week. Because by the way Lily was looking, she couldn't take much more tapings. And he himself couldn't take many more before he snapped.


	9. AN to all my stories

Dear loyal fanfiction readers,

I know it's been forever since I've updated, and just when I was about to, my laptop computer crashed and because I'm a moron, I didn't back anything up so all my work is gone. I just got it back and it's working again, but it will be awhile before I write anything. All my stuff for school was on it and so I have to focus on that. But as soon as I'm caught up (or because I'll procrastinate doing my work and will write instead) I'll update my stories. I know how irritating it must be, cause I'm taking forever. But thank you so much for sticking with my stories and all my personal problems.

Can't wait to get back to writing and to read your reviews,

_HP4EverLuver_

_Peace, Luv, and Hairgrease!_


	10. Hope

_**Happy Holidays from HP4EverLuver! And a happy new year! :) **_

"I wanna go home." Mariah cried. She was currently in the fetal position on the floor. She had just endured her first taping, and she was cradling her stomach. Lily rubbed her back as she tried to think of something comforting to say.

"It gets easier." She said. That just made Mariah cry harder.

"What the hell? How do they get enjoyment from doing this?" Lily shook her head.

"I don't know. It seems like Matt gets more from it than Alex." Mariah arched an eyebrow and looked up at Lily through her tears.

"They're identical. How can you tell them apart?"

"Matt is the one who actually does the beating. Alex is the one filming and making the faces." Lily explained. Mariah shook her head and slowly sat up.

"It doesn't matter who's doing what. They're both despicable and I hate them both!" Lily hugged Mariah as she let the tears drop. In that instant Mariah felt younger that she actually was. She realized that she had been completely sheltered pretty much her entire life and wasn't used to having to fend her herself due to the fact that her dad or boyfriend at the time would do it for her. When her tears finally stopped, she wiped her nose on her arm.

"Sorry." She apologized to Lily. Lily shook her head. She was torn between feeling bad and finally being elated at how for once she wasn't the one being beaten. But, she understood that next week things would return to normal.

"It's nothing. I mean, at least you're not going through it alone." Mariah nodded.

"It's nice to have a friend when we're all alone." Lily smiled.

"It's nice to have a friend period whether you're alone or not." Mariah looked at the floor before speaking.

"You know what we should do if we get out of here alive?" Lily shook her head.

"When we get out of here alive." Mariah gave her a small smile.

"Sorry. When we get out of here alive, we should throw a massive party. Your friends and fam and mine. It'll be a fun way for them to meet. And I definitely wanna meet Oliver and Miley." Lily grinned.

"They'd like you. What about James? Don't I get to meet the boyfriend you can't seem to stop talking about?" Mariah giggled at the sound of his name.

"Of course. You just can't be around him alone for too long." Lily laughed. She hadn't done that in so long that she had forgotten what it sounded like.

"Why? Are you the jealous type?"

"Definitely."

* * *

"Well that's everything. You are officially enrolled." Ms. Stevens, the school's secretary said to James as she handed him his class list. James grinned at her.

"Thank you." He said earning a giggle and a blush from her.

"It's my pleasure dear. Oken will be showing you around I assume?" Oliver who had been sitting in one of the office chairs nodded and stood up.

"Yes Ms. Stevens. And thanks." He said as they left. He, his parents and James all walked outside of the office and stood in the hall.

"Well I guess you don't need us anymore. Oliver, be good. And James, wait at least a week before getting into any trouble." Ms. Oken said looking at each boy in turn. Both boys nodded.

"Bye mom. Bye dad." Oliver said as he hugged his parents. James held out his hands.

"See you later, Mr. and Mrs. Oken."

"It's Sarah and Tyler. None of this Mr. and Mrs. stuff. Kay, James?" James nodded as Mrs. Oken hugged him as well.

"See you later James." Tyler Oken said as he patted him on the back.

"See ya Tyler." Mr. Oken and his wife smiled at the two males in front of them before walking out the front doors. Oliver turned to James once they were gone.

"So, ready?" James shrugged.

"As I've ever been." The two nodded and headed up the stairs.

* * *

"I feel numb."

"Already?"

"What do you mean already?"

"Well when the body goes through extreme pain, it eventually shuts down so you can't feel it anymore. Kinda like going through shock. It took me at least a mouth and a half to shut down." Mariah placed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"So I won't feel it anymore?"

"No, you will. It will just come in waves. Like during the actual beating, it will feel like a dull throb, but it won't hurt as much. But a couple of hours later, it'll come back with a vengeance. And a strong one." Mariah looked completely defeated.

"We're never getting out of here are we? At least not alive."

"Way to sound optimistic." Lily said sarcastically. Mariah rolled her eyes.

"Well excuse me for speaking the truth." Lily glared at the younger girl.

"You don't know that for a fact."

"According to both logic and statistics, it is." Lily sighed and ran her hands through her hair.

"I'm not gonna argue with you." Mariah crossed and arms and leaned against the wall farthest away from Lily.

"Why? Because you know I'm right?"

"No! Because you've lost all hope! And if that's the case, we might as well commit suicide right now!" There was a pause before Mariah responded.

"Have you ever thought about it?" Lily's head shot up.

"Thought about what?" Mariah eyed her carefully.

"Suicide." Lily placed her hands on her hips.

"Mariah you're crazy."

"Think about how easy it would be. They have at least twenty knives in that kitchen. Just one cut to the throat is all it would take. Like a Band-Aid. Quick and easy. If you did it right, you wouldn't feel any pain." Lily stared in shock at the girl.

"Are you serious?" Mariah smiled without humor.

"I've never been more serious in my life." Lily shook her head and walked toward her.

"No. no. no. You're not thinking clearly...you're speaking out of your emotions, not out of thought. Just sit down and calm down. Once, you're thinking again, you'll see just how stupid you're being." Mariah glared and walked over to the farthest corner away from Lily and slid down to the ground.

"All the time in the world can go by, but that's not going to change how I feel in the slightest." She crossed her arms over her knees and placed her head on top of them. Lily sighed, and ran a hand through her hair, a habit that she had gotten worse at since her capture. She walked over to the opposite wall, and sat down, rubbing her arms, desperate to create some kind of friction or warmth.

The fact that Mariah already doubted the fact that they were going to get out alive was not a good sign. Especially cause Lily had started to think the same thing. And even if they did get out alive, what would they do? Be bombarded by the media for a couple of months? Have them following their every movement? Go back to school? How much work had she missed so far? How long would it take to catch up? Would she still be able to graduate with her class? These and more thoughts ran through her head as she gradually drifted to sleep.

* * *

"How's that homework, coming along?" James scoffed at the question and ran a hand through his hair. He was currently lying on the Oken's living room couch, a math textbook on his lap. He had been staring at it for over forty-five minutes, and wasn't any further then when he started. He looked up to see Oliver standing at the bottom of the staircase, eating an apple. James had just finished his second week of school in Malibu, and was trying to get back into the swing of daily homework. He wasn't doing well.

"It's not." James finally admitted. Oliver shrugged and walked into the kitchen.

"Just write down random crap. Mr. Wilks doesn't actually check to see if it's right, he just checks to see if it's done." James nodded.

"Thanks." And then began to do as Oliver had suggested. Oliver reappeared in the living room, minus the apple from before. He sat in one of the armchairs and placed his feet on top of the coffee table. He then folded his hands over his stomach, and sighed as he stared at the two house phones and one cell phone lying on the table. When James had "completed" his homework, he placed it aside and began to stare at the phones as well. This had become routine for them. They would go to school, come home, stall, and then take their places in front of the phones. Miley's routine was pretty much identical, except for the addition of Hannah concerts that were slowly decreasing as the search went on. All three would stare at the phones in complete silence, so they were sure not to miss a call. They'd sit in their designated spots and stare till after two in the morning. Then they would go to bed, wake up at seven, and it would start all over again. Oliver's parents came home from work, the four ate dinner, and when everything was clean and put away, James and Oliver returned to their couches from that afternoon and Sarah and Tyler joined them. When the grandfather clock struck two AM, the four snapped out of the trance that they had all been under for the past seven hours. They all trudged up the stairs, and said good night before going their separate ways.

As Oliver lay in his bed, he kept tossing and turning; too exhausted to stay awake, yet to afraid to miss the phone ringing if he fell asleep. After twenty minutes of useless tumbling, he pushed the covers off of him and walked down the stairs. He went to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water. He was headed on his way back to his bedroom to catch at least an hour of sleep, when a small blue light caught his eye. He looked over at the coffee table to see, the black cell phone lighting up, after carefully setting the glass on the counter, he slowly made his way over to it, his heart thumping louder with each step. He was afraid to get all the way over to it and find out that his brain had been playing tricks on him. It already did that everywhere. He'd see blonde hair and his heart would stop only for it to slowly start again when he noticed that the hair didn't' belong to Lily. Whenever a skateboard would pass him, he look up only to realize it was either a guy or someone who didn't even remotely resemble her. If he were to find out that he was just dreaming again, he was certain he would collapse in a heap on the ground and never get up again.

When he was within a foot of the phone, he reached out, picked it up from the table, and held it in front of his face. It said one new text message. He heart started to thump wildly and he had to lower it and close his eyes, trying to revert it back to its normal pattern. _'Don't do that Oliver.' _He thought to himself. _'It might just be another one of Hannah's fans saying how sorry they are.' _With that mindset and mentality, he raised the phone once more, and flipped it open. It was from a blocked number and Oliver had to brace himself against the side of the sofa by the time he was done reading it.

_Good Morning Oliver. _

_You don't know who I am, but I certainly know who you are. Let's just say I'm a friend of a friend. Now, I know where Lily is, but she's not gonna be there much longer due to the fact that they're gonna kill her. Call/text this number to get in touch with her. _

_425-658-7432_

_She's in Lynnwood, Washington. But like I said before, she's not gonna be there much longer. _

_You might wanna tell James as well due to the fact that Mariah is going to meet the same fate. _

_Good luck, _

_A friend of a friend_

* * *

"JAMES!" Oliver yelled as he bombarded into the guest bedroom. James shot up in his bed, gasping. He glared at the boy blocking his doorway.

"Oliver! Are you trying to wake your parents?" Oliver rolled his eyes and jumped onto the bed. He was holding the phone in his hand and he shoved it into James face.

"Read this text!" James stared at the screen for a second before looking back at Oliver.

"Why-"

"Just read it!" James glared at the younger boy, before taking the phone from him and reading the message. As he read through, his expression went into one of shock and when he read the last part, despair. When he was done, he handed the phone back to Oliver.

"They're going to kill them?" James asked. Oliver nodded, silently.

"What should we do?" James shrugged.

"Should we call it?" Oliver shrugged.

"Do you wanna call it?" James shrugged. The two stayed in silence till James asked the question they were both thinking.

"What if...What if it's...you know...a hoax?" Oliver asked the next question they were both wondering.

"What if it's not?"

"Should we take that risk?" The two boys stared at each other before looking back at the phone. Finally, James took it from Oliver with shaking hands. "I think we should. If this is a way to get into contact with the girls, I think we should try it." Oliver firmly nodded in agreement.

"Dial it." James nodded, and with shaking fingers began to dial the number before placing it against his ear.

"It's ringing." He whispered. Oliver's eyes widened.

"Put it on speaker." James removed the phone from his ear and put it on speaker. Their hearts pounded as they waited for it to stop ringing.

"Hello?"

_**So what do you think? Are you completely hooked yet? I sure am!! :) **__**Chapter 10: A Plan is Formed...**_


	11. Reunited For Now

_**I'm updating! Hugs and Kisses! :D Hey I reuploaded this chapter with the breaks inserted in so now you know when the P.O.V. changes! Love yas!**_

"Good night, girls!" Matt yelled as he closed the door behind the two girls. They had just had another taping and they threw the girls down in the basement, as usual. Lily rolled her eyes as she picked herself off the ground.

"Good night, bastards!" She yelled back. Mariah brushed herself off the ground and walked over to the wall farthest away from the staircase. The two hadn't talked since their fight the week before, making their current arrangement difficult for the both of them. Lily ran a hand through her hair, and when she removed her hand, a clump of hair went with it. Lily stared at the hair in her hand before rolling her eyes and throwing it into a small trash can in the corner of the basement. "Just what I need." She muttered to herself.

"It's okay. Mine's falling out too." Lily looked over to Mariah who was staring at the ground. Mariah met her eyes before turning her attention back to the floor. The two hadn't said two words to each other since their argument the week before. Lily opened her mouth to speak, when the door from above opened again.

"Lily! You forgot your jacket." Alex shouted down while throwing it down the stairs. Lily rolled her eyes and walked up the steps to retrieve it. She picked it up and looked up to see Alex staring at her. She glared at him, and instead of glaring back like she expected, he flashed her a small smile before closing the door. Lily sat down on the steps as she put her jacket on. When it was on, she zipped it all the way up and buried her nose in the collar. It smelled faintly of smoke and soap. As she sat there, she began to think. She hadn't had this jacket when she went upstairs. She hadn't worn a jacket in weeks. Lily removed her face from the inside of it and took a good look at it. She furrowed her eyebrows.

"This isn't my jacket." She whispered. And it wasn't. Her jacket had been a light blue, while this one was a dark navy blue. And her last one had been made out of thin cotton while the one she was wearing was made out of fleece. Lily ran her hand up and down her arm, reeling in the texture and the warmth it provided. She let a small smile escape. The two might be sick and perverted, but whether she liked it or not the jacket was a kind gesture. If she had to bet money on it, she would have guessed that Alex had bought it. He seemed to be less into the kidnapping than his brother. Lily sighed and took the rubber band off her wrist and tied her hair into a loose ponytail. She winced as she did this, the small movement causing a great pain in her shoulders. She could feel herself getting weaker both mentally and physically. She was drained and the isolation had started to take its toll. Lily groaned as she stuck her hand in her pocket. Something had to happen and soon or-

Lily's train of thought was interrupted as her fist curled around something in the pocket. It was small and cool to the touch. Parts of it seemed to be raised up and it appeared to have some sort of screen. Lily pulled her hand out of her pocket, and opened her palm. She gasped and her eyes widened. Sitting there, in the middle of her hand was a small silver phone. She turned it over and rolled it between her fingers, hardly believing it was there. It was impossible...there was no way...

She turned it back over to the front and held down the on button. Her heart stopped as she pushed and prayed and wished...

It worked.

Lily was mentally turning cartwheels and back flips as she watched the phone's network logo go across the screen. The phone looked brand new. When the home page came up, she glanced in the corner. Fully charged and with all four bars. Lily jumped up and hopped off the steps before running over to Mariah. She hugged her tightly as she jumped around in circles. Mariah, who had no clue what was going on, quickly pushed her away.

"What the hell is the matter with you?" She asked. "Can't you see I'm still mad at you?" Lily giggled and Mariah took a step back. "Lily? Lily, are you okay?" Lily nodded.

"I'm better than okay. I'm perfect! You see I told you! I told you!" Mariah, who was still confused just crossed her arms and arched an eyebrow at the blonde.

"What are you talking about? Told me what?" Lily just simply held up the phone in reply. Mariah took a few seconds looking at it, clearly thinking it was a mirage. "Is that a...an actual...there's no way...but how?" Lily shrugged.

"I don't know! But do the hows and whys really matter right now? Mariah, this is it. Our escape. Our way out. It's a sign. You see what happens when you have a little faith? Maybe next time-"Lily's gloating was interrupted by the phone vibrating. The two girls instantly feel to the floor and stared at it. Lily looked at Mariah.

"Should we answer it?" Mariah asked. Lily shrugged.

"Can we risk not?" Mariah nodded before reaching over and clasping Lily's hand in hers.

"Put it on speaker." Lily nodded and nervously pushed the button to accept and the one for speaker. There was a moment of complete silence.

"Hello?" Lily asked hesitantly. There was silence on the other end as well.

"Lily?" Lily's heart squeezed in joy as she instantly recognized the voice.

"Oliver?"

"Lily! Hey, before I get all excited and forget, is a girl named Mariah with you?" Mariah scrunched up her nose and looked at Lily before looking back at the phone.

"Who wants to know?" She asked. There was some scrambling heard on the other line and soon a voice that was completely different from Oliver's answered.

"Mariah? Is that really you?" Mariah gasped and placed a hand over her mouth before removing it.

"James?"

* * *

Alex smirked and sighed in relief as he heard Lily and Mariah obviously on the phone. Looks like Oliver had taken his warning to heart. He stood up from his crouched position on the floor and brushed off his knees before walking into the kitchen and pulling a beer out of the refrigerator. He opened it and walked over to the couch with a spring in his step. If he knew anything (and he knew quite a few things) he could guess that the two were now sitting in the basement helping plan a way to get Lily and Mariah home. And they needed to figure one out soon. Alex's good mood on his good deed faded as he thought on the conversation he had had with his brother the day before and how it was the reason when he went to the store that morning, not only did he buy the supplies they needed, but he also bought Lily's new jacket and the phone that would be a big part in helping the girls to be liberated.

'_**I think you're right.' Alex arched an eyebrow at his brother's statement. He had been in the kitchen eating a bowl of cereal when his brother, fresh from taking a shower had entered and spoke the four words that Alex never expected to hear. **_

'_**What?' He asked curiously. Matthew shrugged.**_

'_**You heard me. I said you were right.' **_

'_**No I heard that part. But I was right about what?' Matthew walked around his brother and looked in the freezer. **_

'_**Not keeping the girls. I mean come on. It is getting kind of old, right? So I've decided that next week's taping will be the last.' Alex stared at his brother for a second before speaking. **_

'_**Are you serious?' Matthew nodded. **_

'_**I'm dead serious.' Alex grinned before walking over to his brother and slapping him on the back. **_

'_**Well it's about time. Glad to see you've finally seen the light buddy. So what if we get life in prison? We can handle it, right?' At this, Matt turned to stare at his brother and arched and eyebrow. **_

'_**Why would we get life in prison? Nobody knows it was us.' Alex nodded slowly. **_

'_**Yeah, but Lily and Mariah do. And when we let them go, they're going to tell the police.' Matthew scoffed and took a step back from his twin. **_

'_**Let them go? Who said anything about letting them go?' Alex scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. **_

'_**But you just said-'**_

'_**That we weren't keeping the girls and that next week's taping will be the last. Because during next week's taping, we're going to kill them and send their bodies in crates to their parents.' Alex's heart sank to the pit of his stomach and he felt like the cheerios he had consumed were about to come right back up. **_

'_**We're go-go-going to kill them?' Matthew nodded. **_

'_**That's the plan. Oh, and dude, I know how squeamish you are around blood, so you don't have to participate. And when you go to the store tomorrow would you pick up two more blank tapes?' Matt said as he left the kitchen not waiting for an answer. When he had climbed the stairs, Alex was left alone in the silence of the house. He slowly backed up and slid down the wall. When he finally reached the floor, he pulled his knees up to his chest and rocked back and forth. The tears came to his eyes as he envisioned both Mariah and Lily's funerals. They'd probably be conjoined and broadcast on TV. Lily and Mariah's mothers would be hysterical. Their fathers too stunned for words. James would probably become suicidal, and Oliver, poor Oliver would probably never speak a word again. He had to do something. And he was gonna start first thing in the morning. **_

* * *

"Oh my god! James! I can't believe it's really you!" James, in California, shook his head in disbelief.

"I can't believe it's you either, Mariah. Are you okay? Well of course you're not okay! The conditions you are in are horrible! I swear, when I get my hands on those sick bastards, I'll kill them both! They don't deserve jail, they deserve the electric chair." As James continued his rant, Oliver watched him in silence, with a slightly amused smile on his face. When James switched over to Spanish and was speaking words Oliver knew his mother would have scolded them for, He gently took the phone away from him.

"Um, Mariah is it? Hand the phone to Lily." Mariah nodded and placed the phone on the floor between the two of them.

"Oliver?" Lily asked. Oliver grinned at the sound of his name.

"Lily, do you have any idea where you two are? Do you know the state or anything? Lily shook her head.

"I was drugged the whole way here." Lily looked at the girl beside her. "Mariah? Do you have any idea of where we are?" Mariah shrugged and twisted her fingers in her lap.

"We're in Washington State, I'm sure." James and Oliver shared a look.

"What makes you say that?" James asked slowly.

"Well, I had made a small hole in the bag they had put me in, and as they were driving, I remember seeing the Seattle Space Needle." Oliver had gotten off the bed and grabbed James' laptop from where it was on the floor.

"So you're in Seattle?" James asked, carefully choosing his words. Mariah shook her head.

"I don't think so. They kept driving for a long time after we passed it. And when they stopped for gas, I saw a sign that said 'Welcome to Lynwood.' It wasn't too long before they stopped, so I'm assuming that's where we are. But I can't be sure. " James looked at Oliver.

"Seems like Mr. Anonymous wasn't lying." He whispered. Oliver nodded.

"Well this is good." He said loud enough for Lily and Mariah to hear. "We know exactly what state you're in, and the city. That narrows it down by a ton. Now all we have to do is figure out how to get there. When's the next taping?" Lily shrugged.

"I don't know. They never really do it on the same day, but probably tomorrow or Thursday." Oliver closed his eyes and sighed.

"That's not enough time for us to get to you." He said quietly. Beside him, James lowered his head. In Washington, Lily and Mariah did the same. "But look. We will have you guys out of there by next week's taping. I swear. We'll tell Miley and our folks in the morning and decide how to move on from there. Just, stay calm and alive. We'll call you tomorrow."

"Promise?" Lily asked in a small voice.

"We swear." Oliver and James responded in unison.

"Talk to you tomorrow." Oliver said.

"Talk to ya then." Lily replied before pushing the end button. The two girls looked at each other and smiled slightly.

"Looks like I owe you an apology." Mariah said. "Seems like we will be getting out of here alive. I'm sorry for doubting you." Lily smiled and shrugged.

"It's no big deal and I accept your apology." Lily hugged Mariah tightly and Mariah held just as strong. When they pulled back, both girls were crying. "We're getting out of here Mariah." Lily whispered. "I know we are." Mariah grinned.

"I know we are too."

* * *

"Are you two serious?" Miley asked, her face in complete shock. It was the next morning and she, Oliver, James, Jackson, Oliver's parents, Lily's parents and Robby Ray were all sitting in the Stewart's living room. James and Oliver had explained everything to everyone once they were all seated. James nodded and handed her the cell phone that contained the text message. She hastily read it and gasped. "They're gonna kill them?" Oliver nodded gravely.

"That's what it looks like."

"Well, we have to stop them! We have to do something!" Miley jumped up and began to pace around the living room. "We shouldn't be sitting here! How are you both so calm about this?"

"Because us getting worked up isn't going to find them any faster." James said from his spot on the couch. "They only way we're gonna get anything accomplished is if we think it through rationally." Miley rolled her eyes and folded her arms.

"But we are still gonna do something right?" Oliver stood at this.

"Of course we're gonna do something. We're gonna find them, bring them home, and make sure their kidnappers never see the life of day again." Miley smirked and ran her hand up and down her arm.

"And finally admit you like her to someone other than me, James or your pillow?" Oliver chuckled.

"I'll tell her the minute she's in my arms." Miley grinned and held up her pinky.

"Pinky swear?" Oliver held up his pinky and intertwined it with hers.

"Pinky swear."

_**I know this is shorter than what i usually update, but i still updated! So...Review! You know you want to! Did you like it? Did you hate it? Is there anything you wanna see in the future? I don't know unless you tell me! So tell me! Pretty please... **_


	12. A Meeting

_**First part is a continuation of the end of the last chapter :D **_

Miley grinned.

"Good. So now we have to form a plan, and fast. How far away is Malibu from wherever they are?" Miley asked as she retook her seat on the couch. James quickly typed away at his computer before answering.

"They're in Lynwood, Washington and its 971 miles away which is about…12 hours or so, taking in account that I'm bad at math so it's a rough estimate." Miley nodded.

"Okay, so when do we leave? What's the plan?" Lily's mother, Heather was the one who answered.

"As of right now, the first thing that we have to do is gather our supporters."

"Well, we already have a huge following." Robby Ray pointed out. Oliver nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, but now we need to figure out how many of them are actually willing to do something. So I suggest a rally for tomorrow night." James shook his head.

"No, we already have no time. If we're having this rally, it has to be done tonight." Jackson stood up.

"Then what are we waiting for? We got a rally to prepare for!" The other occupants in the room stood up as well. Miley put her hand out in the middle and everyone else stood up as well.

"Who's in?" She asked. Jackson placed his hand on top of his sister's.

"I'm in." Jackson said.

"Me too." Robby Ray added, his hand going on top of his son's. Both of Lily's parents along with Oliver's put their hands in at the same time.

"We're in." Oliver and James shared a look. James put his hand on top of everyone else's.

"Ready to kick some ass?" James asked Oliver. Oliver grinned, while placing his hand on top of James'.

"Let's do it."

* * *

"Do you really think they're coming for us?" Mariah asked in a quiet voice. It was the day after getting the phone and the two were lying on the floor of the basement, staring up at the ceiling. Lily rolled over onto her stomach and stared at Mariah.

"Of course. They said they would so they will. Why?" Mariah shrugged.

"No reason. Just thinking."

Lily sat up in shock. "Are you honestly doubting them?" Mariah didn't respond. Lily glared at the younger teen and stood, swaying slightly. "Well? Are you?"

"Not doubting, per se. Just…okay fine I'm doubting. Are you happy?" Lily rolled her eyes.

"I don't believe this! After everything, finding the phone, speaking with Oliver and James, you still don't think they're coming for us!" Mariah ran her hand through her hair and stood as well.

"I'm not doubting that they'll come for us. I'm doubting that they'll come in _time._ They can create the most elaborate escape plan possible Lily, but if we're not alive when they do it, what's the point? We don't know what the two sickos above us are thinking. We don't know what they're plotting. They could plan to kill us within the next 20 minutes for all we know! Then they'll leave the house and when James and the others arrive what will they find? The rotting corpses of two teenage girls." Lily glared scoffed.

"That's a pretty morbid picture for someone who only a few hours ago was jumping up and down from excitement about being rescued. When did you become so pessimistic?" Mariah sighed and sat back down on the hard floor.

"All I'm saying is we don't know when their next move is gonna be." Lily rubbed her hands along her arms as she thought this over before sinking to the ground next to Mariah. Lily threaded her hands with the other girl's and smiled.

"They'll find us in time, Mariah. They will." Mariah looked at her with tears in her eyes.

"You promise?" Lily wrapped her arms around the girl who in turn did the same.

"I promise." She whispered to the brunette. _'__And it__'__s one,__'_She thought as the two embraced. _'__I hope I don__'__t have to break.__'_

_

* * *

_

"Well I think everyone is here." Miley said looking out at the two boys in front of her. She, James and Oliver were standing in the center of Lily's bedroom, the first time since having spoken to the girls the three days before. In those three days they had been planning, scheming, and gathering volunteers to help them in their rescue of Lily. Below them in the living room were their parents and the 30 or so volunteers they had asked to help.

"Ready?" James asked. The rooms two other occupants firmly nodded.

"I was ready when we got the phone call." Oliver said determination clear in his eyes. Miley opened the door.

"Then let's go." The three teenagers walked down the steps, stopping once they were again on even floor. The room that had seconds before been full of chatter, immediately quieted as the teens entered.

"So." James whispered. "Who wants to start?" Miley took a deep breath and stepped forward.

"Good afternoon everyone and thank you for coming. Now as you know this meeting is being held to figure out a plan on how to get back Mariah and Lily. Thanks to an anonymous tip, we have made contact with them and they are both alive and fine, but there's rumors that they won't be next week which gives us about 6 days."

"The girls are currently being held hostage in Lynnwood, a small town in Washington State." Oliver said. "We did some research and found that Lynnwood is known for its big and empty abandoned houses. No one owns them, no one goes in them, and the city refuses to tear them down. The perfect place for fugitives to hide out."

"What we want to do is go to Lynwood and perform a search and rescue. Now we want to know who would be willing to fly with us to Lynwood, search the town and surrounding areas, find the girls and bring them back. Now keep in mind, we don't know what we are going to be up against. Their kidnappers are serious sickos considering the videos they've sent in. They could look like anyone and be anyone. They could have no guns whatsoever and they could also be strapped with more equipment military. We probably will be shot at. One of us probably will be hit." James paused as he looked down at his feet. "One of us could die." He returned his gaze to the crowd staring intently at him and continued. "I know this is a lot to ask which is why we are telling you this now, before you agree to anything. If you no longer want to help because the danger is too much, we will fully understand and we would not look down on you, but we would like you to speak now." No one said a word. Miley grinned.

"So we're all in agreement?" She asked. Everyone vigorously nodded. "Good! She exclaimed standing on the nearby coffee table. "I'm sick of doing nothing!" Miley said to the crowd. "Now I'm gonna get Lily and Mariah back. Who's with me?" The crowd cheered their answer. As Miley pumped up the supporters, James and Oliver walked over to the kitchen, where Lily and Mariah's mothers were standing. The two women, who were their daughter's exact replicas, were silently crying and holding hands. Oliver held Lily's mother's, and James did the same to Mariah's. The two stared at the boys.

"Heather? We are going to find Lily." James said. Oliver nodded.

"And we are going to find Mariah as well, Kelsey." Oliver added. A silence fell over the four as they reflected on all that had happened and all that was to come.


	13. Waiting For Tomorrow

**:D**

"Are you guys ready?" Miley asked through the megaphone. The crowd in the parking lot cheered their response. Miley, Oliver, James, their parents, and their supporters were currently in the deserted parking lot of the nearby 7-Eleven. It was almost two AM and the group was getting ready to leave for Washington. They had all spent the last four days getting ready for the trip north, saving money, booking hotel rooms, getting supplies and whatever else they thought they might need. Now the group was finally ready to depart and the anticipation could be felt by everyone. James, Oliver, Miley and Jackson would be in the front car while their parents and everyone else followed in cars behind them. Miley was currently standing on the roof of the lead car. "Does everyone have their cell phones and walkie talkies?" The crowd cheered once again and both devices were held up in the air. Miley nodded. "Good. Then let's get going!" The group responded once more and they all turned to get in their different cars. Miley herself got off the roof and settled in the passenger seat of the car next to her brother. Oliver and James, who had been in the crowd themselves, turned to get into the back of the front car. When the four were securely in, Jackson turned on the car and the engine roared.

"Ready?" He asked. The cars other three occupants nodded. Jackson honked the horn as a signal and the other cars honked in response. "Let's go." Jackson stepped on the gas and left, the eight cars following closely behind.

"This is actually happening." Oliver said as they neared the highway. "We're actually going to get them." James nodded in agreement.

"We don't come back without them. Agreed?" He asked.

"Agreed." Jackson replied his eyes on the road.

"Agreed." Miley stated.

"Agreed." Oliver said. With that settled, the four settled in for the long ride ahead.

* * *

"I spy with my little eye, something…grey."

"The wall."

"Yeah. Okay, um, I spy with my little eye something…white."

"The ceiling."

"Right. I spy with my little eye, something-"

"That's slowly but surely dying? Because that's me." Lily furrowed her eyebrows and crossed her arms.

"If you didn't wanna play, all you had to do was say so." Lily and Mariah were currently lying on their backs on the ground and they were laying in such a way that even though their bodies were facing opposite walls, if Lily looked to her right and Mariah looked to her left, they would be staring dead into each other's eyes. Mariah sighed and sat up, Lily following her example and did the same. It had been exactly a week since they had spoken to the three teens in Malibu and Mariah had returned to her doubts from before. Her pessimistic attitude annoyed Lily to no end but if she were being completely honest, she could understand it. Before the phone call, Lily could pretend to herself that they reason they hadn't been found yet was due to the fact that no one knew where they were. But since talking to her friends, the thought that they still wouldn't be found was always hovering in the back of her mind. It bothered her that after the initial call, they hadn't called back. It irritated her that they hadn't told her and Mariah what they had planned on doing. It annoyed her that they were still stranded. And mostly, it scared her that they might not even be coming for them at all.

Whenever she would think that, she'd shake her head and reassure herself that her friends missed her. Why else would they have _repeatedly _appeared on _The Today Show _looking for her like Mariah had said her first day in the basement? Why else they have called the number after getting it? Why else would Oliver have said that he missed her in a quiet voice as they were saying goodbye? And why else would he have promised-no _swore_-that he'd get her if it was the last thing he did?

To hurt her? To fool her? To make her cry?

_No,_ Lily thought. _Oliver would never do that. No matter how angry or upset or mad I have ever made him, he'd never do something that harsh or that cruel. He's not like that. He'll never be like that._

"Lily? Did you hear me?" Lily snapped out of her private musings and looked at Mariah.

"What?"

"Did you hear what I said?" Lily shook her head at the question and Mariah sighed.

"I said, I'm sorry for snapping at you so much lately. I know this whole situation isn't your fault, but it makes me feel better if I have someone to blame besides myself for the circumstance that I am currently in." Lily looked at the younger girl weirdly.

"You didn't ask Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Dumber to take you. How is this your fault?"

"I was eavesdropping remember? If I hadn't stopped to listen they wouldn't have taken me. That's what I get for being nosy…" Lily shook your head.

"That doesn't mean anything. Kidnapping is a federal crime punishable by law. eavesdropping isn't. Besides. I'm glad you got taken." Mariah sniffled and looked at the older girl beside her.

"Really? Why?"

"Because. I got to make a new friend."

* * *

"This place is disgusting." Miley said, dropped her suitcase on one of the two beds in the room, causing a cloud of dust to rise. She coughed trying to clear the dust as she looked around. The room was small and dingy with out-dated and peeling wallpaper. It looked like the room hadn't been scrubbed clean in a good while and the air in the room almost tasted stale. Miley crinkled her nose as she surveyed the room, but she couldn't complain. It was cheap, only five minutes away from the city of Lynwood and the rundown hotel had 23 rooms ready, the only one with enough space for everyone within miles. It had been decided that Jackson would room with their father, Oliver and James would be together, and when they found Lily and Mariah, the two would be staying with Miley till they all returned to California. Suddenly there was a knock on her door and in walked Oliver and James. Oliver smiled at the frown on her face.

"You don't like the place either?" He asked, opting to sit on the dresser, which looked a little cleaner than the bed. Miley shrugged.

"It's not up to Hannah standards, but it will do."

"Who's Hannah?" James asked from his spot where he was leaning against the now shut door. Oliver and Miley shared a quick look before she shrugged.

"She's an imaginary person we made up years ago. Whenever we don't like something, we say it's below "Hannah" standards. It's a really weird inside joke." James rolled his eyes and pulled a rolled-up map from in his pocket.

"Well, it doesn't matter whether Hannah likes it or not, because with any luck, we won't be here long." He set the map on the floor of the room and opened it. Miley and Oliver squatted to closer examine it, and they soon found it was a map of Lynwood, with six different places circled in red pen. "So I talked to the lady at the front desk and she said that these six places are good places to go looking." Oliver stared at James.

"You told her we were looking for Lily and Mariah?"

"No!" The other boy said harshly. "Give me some credit. I went up to her with Miley's dad and we told her we were here filming a movie and that we needed an abandoned house. She suggested looking in these places." Miley nodded and ran her hand over the map.

"Okay, everyone will be divided in groups of eight and those five teams will go here, here, here, here, and here." She said pointing at five different locations. "And then Jackson, my dad, you two and me will go and search here." She said pointing at the last red circle on the map. "If anyone finds anything, we'll all radio each other." Oliver and James nodded in agreement. "Good. Well it's almost midnight and we head out at five so we should all get some sleep." The three rose from the ground and Oliver and James hugged her good night. They both left and the door shut quietly behind them. Miley sighed and climbed into bed, too exhausted to shower, change or do any of her usual nightly rituals. She glanced at the bedside table, on top of which had her phone, walkie talkie, keys and her wallet. She picked up her wallet, opening it up to a picture of her and Lily that she had brought along.

"We're coming for ya, Lily. Just hold on." She muttered to it, as a tear slipped out of her eye. She took the picture out of the wallet and on the pillow beside her. She glanced at it lone last time before reaching up and turning out the light.

* * *

"Night, little brother. See you in the morning." Alex nodded to his brother, refusing to make eye contact with his twin. They were in Alex's room, Alex getting ready for bed, and Matt standing in the doorway. All day, Matt had been discussing what they would do after they "got rid of" Lily and Mariah. How they would go on vacation and just get away from everything for a while, let the hype and the media over everything die down. And then when everything had chilled out they would return, get regular jobs, and live life as if none of this had ever happened. And then when one of them was about to die, they would reveal to the world that it was the two of them who had done everything and in order to escape persecution, they would both commit suicide after mailing the tape. Alex had drifted in and out of conversation hardly ever saying much, but Matt didn't think that much about it and chalked it up to his twin's personality. "Wow." Matt said. Alex turned to look at him.

"What?" He asked his brother.

"It's just I can't believe tomorrow's our last taping." Alex froze and swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry.

"Come again?" He asked. Matt arched an eyebrow.

"Yeah, tomorrow's the last taping and it's the one where we'll kill them. I told you all of this this morning. Remember?" Alex ran a hand through his hair.

"I didn't think you were serious!"

"Why would I joke about something like that? Bro, the sooner we get you out of here and Tahiti, the better. You're beginning to lose it." Alex rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

"I lost it a long time ago." He muttered to himself, quietly enough for his brother not to catch what his words. "We don't have to do this." He said this time speaking directly to Matt, who glared at the statement. "We can still let them go." Matt sighed and rubbed his eyes. His stubborn brother kept trying to bring up that option, an option that they clearly didn't have.

"No, for the last time, we can't just let them go. We are going to go along with the original plan. We're gonna kill them, ship their bodies back to their parents, and leave the country. That was the plan from the beginning!"

"But I never agreed to it!" Alex exclaimed. Matt walked into the room and grabbed his younger brother by the shirt.

"Have you forgotten why we're doing this? Why we're here in the first place? We promised Virgil we'd get his revenge. We _swore _to him."

"And I didn't want to do it then! You guys forced me to!" Alex said trying to get out of his twin's grip. Matt rolled his eyes but didn't let go of the shirt he was holding.

"It doesn't matter. We swore to him we would and I don't plan on breaking it. Besides, the way I see it, you don't have to be on that plane with me to Tahiti. I'm perfectly fine going alone." Alex's eyes widened.

"You-you'd kill me too?"

"I don't want to, but I will. Now get in your bed, go to sleep, and get ready for tomorrow. And we are not discussing this anymore. Good night Alexander." With that, he released Alex's shirt and exited the room, slamming the door behind him.

**I know it's been a while and I'm really sorry about that! But I hope you guys liked this update! :D**


	14. First Meetings

**Two story updates in one week! I'm excited! :D**

"Why aren't they here yet?" Alex muttered to himself, as he paced the floor of his bedroom. It wasn't even five AM, yet the triplet had been up for over two hours. He stopped and looked at the calendar on his wall, staring at the giant red circle around Friday, May 12th: the day's date. It had been exactly three months since they kidnapped Mariah and five since they had kidnapped Lily. Alex rolled his eyes, not putting it past his brother to purposely choose this anniversary for the…final taping. A chill ran down his body as his spine as he realized that in matter of hours, he might be a murderer. Feeling sick at the realization, he rushed to his adjoining bathroom and proceeded to throw up everything he had eaten in the past three days, which hadn't been much to start with.

When nothing more would come out and he was sure his stomach was completely settled, shakingly he flushed the toilet, and slowly rose to his feet. He turned on the sink and washed his face a few times, no longer bothering to even glance in the mirror. He didn't want to have to look up and see the guilty, disappointed and broken man staring back at him. He retreated back to his bedroom and collapsed on his bed. Alex curled into a small ball, his knees pressed firmly against his chest. He slowly began to rock back and forth as he looked around the room.

There wasn't much in the small area. There was a dresser, a small closet, the bed he was lying on, a stand for coats and hats and a bookshelf. The walls were gray and the wooden floor was old and creaky. It occurred to him that this would be one of the last days he would spend, not only in this room but in the house as well. He shut his eyes tightly; hoping that if he wished and willed hard enough, he would wake up from what he hoped was an extended nightmare, even though he was well aware of the unlikeliest of the situation.

Alex sighed, knowing that he couldn't stay in this position for much longer. Very soon, Matt would wake up and he would begin discussing what the two would be doing for the day. Alex bit his bottom lip as a lone tear escaped his eye.

"Please, please. Get here." He silently spoke to the empty room. "Please."

* * *

Miley rolled her shoulders back a few times and jogged in place. It was finally happening. All the planning, the waiting, the worrying and the pain. It would all end here. In a few short hours, her best friend would be by her side again. She checked her pocket making sure her walkie talkie was securely in place before checking her other one for her taser.

When the option had been given, Miley had completely refused to carry a loaded gun. While she was completely fine with getting Lily back at all costs, the thought of accidently or on purpose taking someone's life, chilled her to the bone. Oliver, Jackson, James and her father had all decided to carry one, with Jackson promising to stay by his sister's side throughout the affair and do his best to protect her. John Walsh and the F.B.I. had been kind enough to loan them enough bulletproof vests for everyone, but a vest wouldn't protect anyone from a bullet to the skull. When shot in the leg, if the wound is properly cared and cleaned, a complete and full recovery is expected, while a shot to the head had only a five percent survival rate. It petrified her that someone might get hurt and that one of them might not be returning to Malibu when all the smoke cleared at the end.

The motel door opened behind her, and she turned around instantly reaching for her taser. She relaxed, seeing that it was just Jackson and Oliver. Oliver was in the midst of zipping up his jacket over the bulletproof vest and Jackson was loading his gun carefully before making sure that the safety was on.

"Are you ready to head out?" Oliver asked, taking in her appearance. Miley was wearing dark brown boots, black jeans, a dark blue t-shirt, the bulletproof vest, and a black jacket; the entire ensemble a mirror image of what he and Jackson were wearing. Everyone in the group had settled on wearing dark colors, hoping to easier blend in and not draw attention to themselves. Miley nodded, answering Oliver's question, her eyes never leaving Jackson's gun.

"I will be in a sec. I'll meet you guys by the car." Oliver nodded and exited the room, leaving the brother and sister duo by themselves. Jackson placed the gun in his pocket before walking towards Miley.

"Miles, are you okay? Seriously. No jokes. No games. No pretense. Are you sure you can handle this?" Miley crossed her arms and looked at Jackson.

"I think so. I mean, I've never been so afraid to do something in my life. It's just…I really want to go home with everyone completely intact. No shot wounds, no broken bones and definitely no one dead. And I'm just worried that-" Miley's voice broke as tears began to stream down her face; unable to speak and cry at the same time. Jackson, seeing his sister in such a state of distress, hugged her to him tightly, Miley recuperating and firmly clinging onto her older sibling. When her tears had subsided, Miley pulled back and wiped her face on her sleeve. "Thanks, Jackson." She said quietly. Jackson scoffed and arched an eyebrow.

"For what?"

"For being really nice since Lily's disappearance. And for going through everything with me and trying to get her back."

"Why wouldn't I help? Lily's my friend too. And sure you guys can be annoying sometimes, but ya'll aren't all that bad. Plus, you're my kid sister and I love you, meaning when you have a problem, _I _have a problem. You can always count on me, Miles. Always." Miley grinned at her older brother and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it. Now as for today, just stick by me and I'll make sure nothing happens to you." He said, patting the gun at his hip. Miley shuttered as she glanced at the black metal item. "What?"

"Nothing." She answered. "I just can't believe you're actually going to use it." Jackson arched an eyebrow at his sister's statement.

"Miles, these guys not only kidnapped Lily, but they've been severely torturing her for months. Are you really asking that we show them mercy?" Miley shook her head.

"No, it's just that…well…what happens if instead of just injuring them…well you kill them? I don't want you or anyone else for that matter to become a murderer, or even be labeled as one." Jackson sighed as he thought this over before staring at his sister and shrugging.

"It's like what the Tech teacher for Law at school says. In the end, I'd rather be judged by twelve, then carried by six." Miley nodded at the statement, understanding. Jackson smirked and swung an arm over her shoulders, before using his free arm to gesture towards the still open motel door. "Shall we?" He asked. His sister took one last breath before nodding and swinging one of her own arms around her brother's shoulders.

"We shall."

* * *

"What would you say if I told you I was physic?" Lily slowly looked up at the question, arching an eyebrow as she ran a hand through her hair. Lily had been lying on the floor in the middle of ht e basement with Mariah sitting across from her against the wall, wringing her hands and refusing to make eye contact with the blonde.

"What?" Lily asked. Mariah sighed.

"What would you say if I told you I was physic? Would you think I'm crazy?" The younger girl asked.

"I already think you're crazy so it wouldn't be much of a change." Lily joked. Mariah glared at her and crossed her arms.

"I'm being dead serious. What would you say if I told you I was physic?" Lily chewed on the inside of her cheek and shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know. Do you think you are?" Mariah nodded slightly. "Why?"

"As far as I can remember, I've been able to sense when something bad was going to happen." Lily scoffed and stood up from the ground. She walked over to the wall where Mariah was and leaned against it.

"Mariah, that's your intuition." Lily stated. "That doesn't mean you're clairvoyant. Besides, why such a random question?" Mariah shrugged and stood up as well.

"Because I've been having that feeling all day!" She said in an almost frantic voice. "Like something big and bad is gonna happen today."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were talking about a wolf. Are we little pigs now?" The blonde asked with a smirk.

"Lily, this isn't funny! I honestly think something bad is going to happen today. Life altering bad." Lily was silent for a few moments as she looked Mariah over. Her eyes were red with massive bags underneath and Lily couldn't recall the other girl sleeping the night before. Her face was more hallowed than when she first arrived, her clothes much dirtier, and her curly brown hair was now mostly a tangled and frizzled mess. She had also lost a few pounds during her capture, her clothes hanging off her tiny frame. Lily sighed.

"Do you honestly think that something is going to happen today?" Lily quietly asked. Mariah nodded.

"I do." Lily sighed before walking the few feet over until she was standing next to Mariah. She offered the sitting girl her hand, which was taken, and the other girl stood up.

"Well, then we'll just have to wait and see. But whatever happens, we'll get out of this together. I swear." Lily held out her pinky and Mariah grinned as she held out hers in return. The two girls intertwined their smallest fingers and kept them there for a moment before breaking their link. Lily walked back over to the center of the room and laid down once more. She turned her head back to Mariah and rolled her eyes when she saw that the worried look had returned.

"What now?" She asked. Mariah shrugged weakly.

"I don't know." She said. "I feel like today's important for some reason. Like something happened today and I can't remember why." Lily groaned at the statement as she tried to get comfortable on the cold floor. She hugged the jacket that Alex had given her tighter around her body as she closed her eyes.

"Well when you figure it out, let me know. But until then, I'm going to take a long nap and hope this is all a dream." Mariah scoffed.

"I've done that many times. Doesn't work."

* * *

"Ready little brother?" Matt asked from where he was staring at himself in front of the hallway mirror. He turned to stare at his twin who was curled in the fetal position on one of the couches. Over the past hour, Alex's face had slowly begun to turn a dark shade of green. The younger of the two had also been unable to keep anything solid down all morning and had been in and out of the bathroom, switching between hurling everything but his intestines and dry heaves. "Could you at least try not to be a wuss, today?" Matt sarcastically asked. Alex glared at his brother from across the room.

"I've never been able to handle blood. You've known that since we were kids." Alex cantered back. Matt rolled his eyes.

"I know. I always hoped you'd grow out of it." Matt said under his breath, but deliberately loud enough for his twin to hear. Alex glared holes into his sibling's back as the older pulled on a suit jacket. Alex arched an eyebrow as he looked his brother over. He was wearing a gray dress suit with a dark red tie and black shoes. His hair had been combed and he had shaved as well.

"Why are you so dressed up?" Alex asked. Matt smirked as he arched an eyebrow.

"Because. Today's a big day for us. By the end of tonight, we will have completely rid ourselves of our little houseguests." Alex had to restrain himself from upchucking the bile that was slowly rising in his throat at his brother's statement. Matt pretended not to notice. The room was silent, each brother lost in his own thoughts. "It's almost three." Matt said, glancing down at his watch. A tight knot formed in Alex's stomach, knowing exactly what his brother meant by telling him the time. He slowly rose from the couch and dragged his feet over to the kitchen. He reached under the sink and pulled out a small pill bottle, his brother not hesitating to take it from him and pulled two pills from in the container. He handed one to Alex.

"Do you want the blonde or the brunette?" Matt asked, already heading towards the basement door.

"They're not animals." Alex stated following his brother. "They have names. The blonde is Lily and the brunette is Mariah." Matt arched an eyebrow and crossed his arms.

"I repeat: do you want the _blonde_, or the _brunette_?"

"The blonde." Alex muttered quietly in defeat. Matt nodded before opening the basement door and quietly descending the stairs, Alex closely behind him. They peaked over the staircase to see that both girls were asleep, Lily spread out in the center and Mariah curled against the wall. Alex walked over to Lily and kneeled beside her slumbering form as Matt did the same to Mariah. Matt looked back at his brother, gave him a thumbs up, and nodded. Alex recuperated the motions. Simultaneously, the twins shook the girls, urging them awake. As the teens gradually opened their eyes, the grown men quickly stilled their movements by grabbing yanking them up and keeping a firm hold on their arms. Both Matt and Alex tried to force the girls to open their mouths and swallow the pills, the girls fighting back as fiercely as possible.

"Swallow them!" Matt yelled. "Swallow them now, or else this will be much harder than it has to be!" Lily and Mariah didn't listen and continue to struggle but they eventually lost the battle, swallowing the small white pills. When they had, Matt and Alex released the girls, both of them gasping harshly as they fell to the floor. They sent the girls one last look before heading back up the stairs without another word.

When they once again were back upstairs, Matt went back to looking at himself in the mirror and Alex walked over to the wall and collapsed against it, sliding down until he was seated on the floor. He pulled his legs against his chest and buried his face in his knees.

"I'm going to go upstairs to finish getting ready." Matt said, not caring about the amount of distress his sibling was in. "In about thirty minutes, go get them and bring them up here. Put them on the couches and we'll deal with them when I get back."

"I don't see why we had to wake them up. They were already asleep and that's what I thought we wanted in the first place." Alex quietly mentioned from his position, his face still buried in his knees.

"Because, we can't risk them waking up and this way we have a guarantee that they'll be out for at least eight hours."

"Matt-"

"Alex." His older brother interrupted. "We're not discussing this anymore. What's done is done and we're gonna go with the original plan. We kill them. Tonight."

* * *

"Why are we just sitting here?" Miley asked for what had to be the eighth time in six minutes. She, her brother, James and Oliver were sitting in an unmarked car that they had surrounded with bushes and shrubs, completely obscuring themselves from the view of anyone walking by. They had arranged the branches out far enough that all four teens could open the car door and stand outside of the vehicle comfortably. Billy Ray was in another hidden car by himself a few feet away from theirs. Jackson rolled his eyes as he continued to look through his binoculars out of the car window.

"Because we don't have a search warrant so we can't just run into a house and start tearing it up." He answered. Miley crossed her arms.

"Well how long would it take to get one from the local police?"

"About three hours." James said, his eyes focused intently on the house in front of them. "But that's three hours we could spend searching."

"Well we're definitely not searching right now!" Miley screeched, almost at the point of hysterias. "All we're doing is sitting in an oversized bush!"

"Keep your voice down!" Oliver harshly whispered. "Look Miley, we know you miss her, we all do. But you freaking out isn't gonna help us get to her any sooner! Now, you need to calm down, sit down and wait!" Miley as well as the others were shocked at the outburst and the car was silent as the brunette's words sank in. Oliver sighed and hit the car window with his fist in frustration.

"I'm sorry Miles, okay?" He said, turning around from the passenger seat to look directly at the brown haired girl sitting behind him. "I wanna find her just as badly as you do. And if that requires sitting in a car and waiting then…we'll sit in a car. And wait." As he said this, he reached back and gripped her hand tightly. Miley nodded and gave him a small smile. "I didn't mean to yell at you. I'm sorry."

"I understand." Miley said. "I just…I feel like we're not doing anything, you know? I just wish that something…anything would happen, you know?"

"Well you might just get your wish." Jackson said from his position in the driver's seat. He took the binoculars off and handed them to James who was sitting behind him. "Look at the guy exiting that house on the far left." James took the binoculars and looked at the guy Jackson was talking about.

"Does he seem suspicious?" Miley asked as she peered out the window, trying to get a good look at the guy herself.

"He seems dressed up. Like he's going somewhere." Oliver added. "But that's not a crime."

"Who puts on a suit to go out at 3 in the afternoon?" James asked, slowly getting out of the car. He got out slowly as to not shake the leaves too much. He moved until he was standing halfway in the makeshift shrub, trying to get a closer look.

"He could be going to a business meeting." Oliver suggested but James shook his head.

"It's possible, but I don't think so. He's happy and excited. My dad has worked in business since I was four years old and never once have I seen him go to a business meeting with a grin that stretches a mile across his face. I think he's leaving to celebrate something he's done… or he's about to do." The three sitting in the car behind him didn't speak, afraid to voice the question they were all thinking.

"Celebrate something?" Jackson finally asked. "Like the death of two teenagers?" James froze at the question, before slowly backing out of the bush and sitting on the ground in front of the car.

"Exactly." He said, his face draining of all color.

"Well then let's go! Why are we still here?" Miley said getting out of the car and moving to run out of the fake bush before any of the boys could catch her. Luckily, Billy Ray had been on his way over to them, and she ran smack into his chest before falling backwards into their makeshift hiding place and landing on the ground besides James. Billy Ray moved in after her, and crouched down to make sure his frame was completely hidden from sight.

"Are you crazy, Miley? You can't just run out there!" Her father scolded, voice seething with anger. "For all we know that house is loaded with his family and friends who are helping him celebrate his birthday and he's leaving to go get ice. Now if we barge in there screaming with guns blazing, do you know the kind of national debacle we would have on our hands?" Miley looked up at her dad in confusion.

"How'd you-"

"You never hung up your cell phone from the last time you called me. I heard everything. Now," He said turning to address the three others, "I do definitely think we should check the house. This is the first sign of movement we've seen all day from any of these places besides a light going on and off. However, we're gonna have to wait until he leaves, before we even think about doing anything." As he said this, five heads turned back to look at the man, who was standing by a car on his phone. "Is someone copying down that license plate number?" He asked as he squinted at the small white car.

"Done." Oliver replied from behind him in the car. He held up his phone as proof, where he had saved a text message with the license plate number, type of car, and color. He had also typed anything else he thought might be useful to help I.D. the car later in case the license plate was taken off, such as dents, scratches and markings. Billy Ray nodded at him and gave him a thumbs up before returning his attention back to the male on his phone.

The chestnut haired man continued to speak to the person on the other line, shaking his head frequently. Finally, after what appeared to have been a stressful conversation, he nodded before hanging up and slipping the phone into his pocket. He then got in his car and started the engine, waiting a few seconds before pulling out of the gravel driveway and driving away from the house. The bush's five occupants held their breath as he drove past them, happy releasing them when the car's engine revved and the speed quickly increased. When the lights from the back of the car could no longer be seen, the five occupants of the bush turned to each other and Jackson spoke up.

"We need to see what's going on in that house."

* * *

"I really don't wanna do this. I really don't wanna do this. I really don't wanna do this." Alex had been repeating the mantra to himself for almost ten minutes since hanging up the phone. He had hoped that in the few feet from the house and his brother's car, maybe Matt had changed his mind about the whole thing. But he unfortunately hadn't and now...Alex sighed deeply before dragging his feet over to the basement door and opening it. He slowly went down the stairs and found the two girls completely knocked out. He checked both of their pulses to make sure that they weren't actually dead and he was relieved to feel the slight, but steady thumping.

He gingerly picked up Mariah in his arms, carrying her up the stairs and placing her on one of the couches. He moved her hands on top of her stomach and her head on top of the arm rest, trying to make her as comfortable as possible. When he had done all he figured he could, he went back into the basement for Lily and did the same. When both girls were in the living room, Alex let out a ragged breath, still in shock with what he was about to do. He walked over to the couch Mariah was lying down on and ran a hand through his hair as he stared at the unconscious girl.

He had always wanted a daughter. He was about fifteen when he had decided that he wanted his first kid to be a little girl, someone he could protect and shield for the world. Being the youngest of the triplets, he had always looked up to and been dependent on his brothers so the thought of someone else needing him like that only made him yearn for that future more. As he watched Mariah, it struck him just how much he thought his future offspring would look like her. Curly brown hair with soft Hazel eyes and a complexion just a few shades darker than his. He glanced at Lily in the other couch.

The girl was a spitfire, something he admired deeply about her. She repeatedly told him and his twin off, fully knowing the painful consequences it would cause her. And even though she was trapped in what had to be the worst possible situation, she hadn't become heartless and he had discretely watched her multiple times pull the younger girl out of what was sure to be a downward spiral into depression. Having a daughter had always been a major priority in his life, but his current predicament was making him feel as if he never deserved to have kids of his own. He was beginning to fear that if he did, karma would come back to haunt him and ruin the lives of his children, something he didn't think he could handle being held responsible for.

He slowly walked over to Lily and gently brushed her bangs away from her face. For the past couple of months, he had watched as she literally shrunk before his eyes. Her skin seemed to be falling off her bones, due to her having lost so much weight. Her eyes were sullen and yellow, the blue irises becoming almost unnoticeable in the recent weeks. Her hair still hadn't been washed and as he ran a hand through it, a small clump of hair fell out. He choked back a sob as he fell to his knees, grasping Lily's limp hand tightly within his own.

"I'm sorry, Lily. I am so sorry."

* * *

"Why is he pacing?" Miley asked quietly to the group. She, James, Oliver and Jackson were crouching in the bushes and staring into the house they had been previously watching. Through cracks in the blinds, they could see a strange guy pacing between two couches that had things filling them entirely, but due to their angles they were unable to see exactly what. Billy Ray had decided to sneak around the back of the house to see if he could possibly get a better view of the house and what was going on inside it. James shrugged and squinted as he moved around in the bushes, trying to see more.

"I don't know but I think he just stopped." The three other teens stopped shuffling around; afraid the noise of the rustling leaves had attracted unwanted attention.

"Can you see if he's started moving again?" Oliver asked. James squinted again, searching to see if he could see anything.

"Yeah…he's…he's stopped beside one of the sofas. And now he's on the floor and he's…he's talking to it?" Jackson gasped.

"There's someone it?"

"Seems like the only possible explanation to me." James answered, moving around again, trying to see what was captivating the man's attention. The others were all silent, before a shaking Miley jumped up.

"I can't take it anymore!" She said, before running towards the front door, the boys not three steps behind.

"Miles!" Oliver yelled. "Don't draw attent-" However it was too late. Miley had already reached the front porch and was kicking down the door before one of the guys could grab her. They all heard her scream hysterically once she was inside.

"You sick bastard! What did you do to Lily?"

* * *

"Wha-" Alex's head snapped up at the sound of the door being broken down and he almost tripped as he tried to stand. Standing in the doorway was a girl who had the same kind of hair as Mariah, but she looked around Lily's age. In her hands she was firmly gripping a small taser and her expression was livid and she looked ready to rip him limp by limp. Three boys rushed in after her; one with the same hair color as Lily, one with short spiky brown hair, and the third with long jet black hair. He instantly recognized the teens as friends of Lily and Mariah from their repeated appearance on the Today Show and various other talk shows.

"Answer me!" The brunette girl in front yelled. "What did you d to her? Why isn't she moving?" At her questions, the other boys in the room looked at the two couches and gasped at the still girls, James, Jackson and Oliver instantly pulling out their guns and aiming them at Alex.

"If they're dead, I swear to god, I will kill you with my bare hands." James said through clenched teeth.

"Don't forget to leave a piece for me." Oliver added, cocking the gun in his hands. Alex opened his mouth to respond, when there was a loud bang from the back of the kitchen before a tall blurry man came running into the foyer and also aimed a gun at him.

"Heard you kids shouting." He explained before looking down at the immobile bodies and letting out a low whistle. "Sweet nibblets." He muttered before glaring at the man in front of him. "You've got a hell of a lot of explaining to do."

"And he can have fun explaining it while he's doing twenty-five to life." Jackson said causing the others to nod in agreement. By this time, Alex was terrified out of his mind and was so beyond exhausted that he was at the point of hysterias and was visibly shaking.

"Look ya'll," Billy Ray said. "He's shaking in his boots. _Literally_." Oliver laughed without humor.

"He should be. After the mess he's put them through he deserves everything that's coming to him." Oliver said harshly, stealing glances between Lily and Alex. Alex bit his lip, causing it to bleed while shaking his head and squeezing his eyes shut tightly.

"What?" Jackson shouted. "Is the guilt too much for you to bear now? Why didn't you feel this way when you were beating them? Hurting them? Possibly raping them?"

"NO!" Alex finally shouted before pulling a gun out of his back pocket and swinging it back and forth between the room's five other occupants. All five of them took a respective step back, instantly frightened by the sudden and unexpected outbreak of anger. "I never EVER touched them like that! I wouldn't dare!" By now tears were streaming down his face and he could barely see straight. "I. Would. Never. Ever do that to someone, let alone someone underage."

"Yet you have no problem with beating them to the point of unconsciousness?" Oliver asked. Alex turned the gun on him.

"I never once laid a hand on either of them ."

"Like we're really supposed to believe that!" James retorted back. Alex moved his glare and weapon onto him.

"I promise!"

"Which isn't worth shit, you filthy murderer!" Alex was shaking with fury and he had to grip the gun with both of his hands just to keep it steady.

"They're not dead."

"Then why aren't they moving?"

"Because they-" James scoffed and rolled his eyes, cutting the older man's sentence in half.

"You know what? Don't even answer that because whatever comes out of your mouth is just gonna be a bunch of bullshit." Alex ground his teeth while trying to keep his anger in check.

"Shut up." James glared at the command.

"Don't tell me what to do."

"I said shut up!"

"And I said no!"

"Shut up damn it!"

"I don't have to do anything you tell me to. In fact…" James never finished his sentence, choosing instead to focus his gun and was about to pull the trigger, except Alex saw what he was about to do and pulled his first.

_POW!_

The shot of the gun rang out through the house and everyone else was silent as they watched James crumble to the ground in pain, tightly hugging his leg to his body, where he anxiously stared at the shot wound.

"Oh my god! James! My baby!"

* * *

**So, I think it's safe to say that sh*t is about to go down in the next chapter...I repeat...some SERIOUS SH*T IS ABOUT OT GO DOWN! :D REVIEW PLEASE! **

**Peace, Luv and Hairgrease!**

**HP4EverLuver**


	15. True Colors Come Out

**Whoop whoop! Update!**

"Ma-Mariah?" James croaked out. He moved to stand but instantly fell back down cradling his eg, a large red spot seeping through the black jeans. In a flash, the brunette was off the couch and by his side. Without a second thought, James enveloped her in his arms and drew her as close to him as possible. She wrapped her arms around his neck, gently running her fingers through his short hair. She made a sound of disgust as she looked down at his right leg.

"James…" She whispered. "Your leg…" He shook his head, dismissing her comment.

"It's nothing." He muttered, wincing as he tried to stand again, letting out a cry of pain.

"Stay where you are, son." Billy Ray said, his eyes and his gun aimed at Alex who was watching the two teens on the floor in disbelief. After seeing Mariah jump from the couch, he had fallen to his hands and knees in shock, his mouth still wide open. He didn't appear to be aware how to breathe, let alone think about running for his life. "Oh, boy. You're sure gonna get it now." The southern father said anger evident in his voice.

"Bu-but how…the pill…she took it…" He muttered.

"But she didn't swallow it." A voice spoke up. "Neither of us did." Everyone in the room turned to see Lily standing beside the sofa shaking and holding a gun. When Alex had fallen to his knees, he had dropped the firearm and while everyone had been distracted, Lily had discreetly picked it up. "We pretended to swallow them while you guys were down there and when you left, we spit them out." Alex shut his eyes and fisted his hands in his hair. He curled up into the fetal position on the carpet and began to mumble nonsense to himself. After assuring themselves, that he wouldn't be moving anytime soon, Oliver and Miley ran over to Lily, each of them hugging her in turn.

"We missed you so much." Miley said as tears began to form in her eyes. Lily's expression mirrored hers.

"Not as much as I missed you guys. This place has been hell." Oliver held her to him, gripping her tightly.

"Well, don't worry because you won't ever have to set foot in this place again. I'll make sure of it." Lily sighed in relief and nodded.

"Thanks, Ollie." A slight groan in the corner brought their attention back to the fact that James was still on the ground bleeding. Billy Ray pulled out his phone and began texting on it before closing it and putting it back in his pocket.

"I'm gonna go get the others." He said. "Will ya'll be alright?" The teens in the room nodded. "Good. I'll be back. If anything changes, text or call me." Sending one last glare at Alex, he quickly ran out the back door and back towards his car. When he was gone, Jackson quickly moved to kneel beside James, opposite Mariah.

"Oh man," he said taking in the younger teen's injury. "This doesn't look good. He's losing blood and fast." Lily unravelled herself from Oliver's arms and moved to squat beside Mariah.

"Jackson, do you have a knife on you?" She asked, surveying James' leg. A few seconds later, Jackson presented her with a pocketknife that he had pulled out of the bottom of his boot. Lily then used it to gently cut a piece off the bottom of James' pants before tightly tying it around the wound. "That's gonna have to work until you can get an actual doctor's attention. Mariah, try adding pressure to it." James nodded, barely even paying attention to his injured body part.

"Thanks, Lily. It's nice to finally meet you in person." He said, removing an arm from around Mariah and offering it towards her. Lily smiled and shook his hand.

"You too. Mariah talks about you all the time." The brunette in question instantly flushed red.

"That's an exaggeration. I don't talk about him _all_ the time…" James chuckled and pulled his girlfriend closer to him.

"Don't worry about it." He told her. "Besides, I couldn't get these guys to shut up about Lily." He jokingly said motioning to the various people around the room when his eyes locked with Oliver's. The standing teen began to furiously shake his head, already guessing what he was gonna say next. "Especially Oken." Oliver glared at the older male but immediately changed his expression when Lily turned around to look at him.

"You talked about me a lot?" She asked quietly. Oliver looked at his foot for a moment and shrugged nonchalantly.

"Well, yeah. I mean, we all did. We really missed you, Lil." Lily smiled as small tears began to form in her eyes. She moved to speak when the creaking of a floorboard from across the room called the attention of the room's occupants. Everyone swivelled around with their weapons raised to see that Alex had moved into the kitchen and was currently holding a knife in a shaking hand.

"Alex," Lily said quietly. "What are you doing?"

"No one was supposed to get hurt." He said, the knife slowly drawing closer towards his throat. "He _promised_ me. He said no one would get physically hurt. He said he would only take you for ransom and then we'd give you right back."

"Is he confessing?" Jackson asked quietly, his grip tightening on his gun. Alex continued, either not hearing the comment or too far gone to stop. As he continued to talk, the Californians started to draw in closer.

"He said that the first hit was just an accident. That he didn't mean it. He said it wouldn't happen again." By now, tears had started to escape his Hazel eyes and slide down his face. He turned to stare directly in Lily's eyes; his own filled with desperation and guilt. "He told me…he said you'd be okay. I didn't want to, but he made me. He said if I even _thought _about backing out, that he-he'd kill you instantly." Alex turned his head so he was then looking at Mariah and shook his head slowly. "And you. If you hadn't been at the mailbox that day…we weren't even gonna mail a tape that day! We were visiting our aunt in the area and he happened to have it on him. Then you accidently overheard our conversation and he said we ha-had to take you and you got mixed up in this mess and I-I'm just sorry. I am so so sorry." Oliver glared at him while moving closer until he was standing next to Lily, ready to protect her if the moment called for it.

"Sorry is nothing but a word and it sure as hell doesn't make up for all you've done to them!" Oliver firmly stated his voice low with fury. Alex was quick to nod in agreement and the hand wielding the weapon drew closer to his person.

"I know it's not." He said, shaking his head. "And nothing I ever do can." He moved the knife to his neck at full speed, aiming for the middle of his throat. Lily was the first to react. She dropped the gun and moved towards him quickly knocking the knife out of his hand and causing it to slide across the kitchen floor. Oliver ran up and pushed him up against the wall.

"Oh no." He said, pulling his right arm behind his back. "You don't get to die that easy. You are going to spend the rest of your life regretting every decision you've _ever _made." Alex rolled his eyes and laughed without humor.

"Believe me. I already do." Oliver led him over to one of the couches and sat him down in front of it, making sure to keep hold of his arms. He looked at Lily and Mariah.

"Do you girls know where if there is rope, or chains or-"

"There are handcuffs in the drawer next to the sink." Alex answered. Oliver paused, not sure how to respond. Lily quickly went to get them and handed them to Oliver. He harshly cuffed Alex to the chair, the older man wincing in pain.

"Don't!" Lily said suddenly, causing everyone in the room to stare at her in shock. "Don't…don't hurt him." Miley, who had moved so she was seated beside Mariah and James, glared at her friend.

"But he-"

"Was a pawn for his brother. He didn't want to." Lily locked eyes with him and despite all the events that had happened to her, her heart couldn't help but melt at the absolute look of pure hopelessness that she saw there. Oliver stared at her in shock.

"Are you serious?" Lily nodded.

"A hundred percent serious." Oliver stared at her in silence at an attempt to see if she was joking or not. When he realized she wasn't, he sighed and shook his head.

"Fine. I promise not to hurt him." The blonde smiled slightly and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you. So…what do we do now?" Lily opened her mouth to say something when the sound of a car door slamming shut stopped her. Everyone in the room froze as they heard someone walking up the path towards the house. Alex's eyes widened.

"Matt's back." He muttered, causing all of the teen's hearts to beat faster. "Lily! Mariah! Get down and play dead. He still thinks that you're supposed to be unconscious. James, you do the same."

"And what about the rest of us?" Jackson asked, starting to freak out as the footsteps began to pick up speed.

"The basement." Alex answered. "You can hide in there."

"How do we know he's not just trying to trick us?" Miley asked, the grip on her Taser tightening. "How can we trust that he's not gonna send his brother after us the moment he walks through the door."

"Because if you don't, he's gonna shoot you the moment he walks through the door." Alex said harshly, panic settling in his voice. "Look, I know I have not given any of you a reason to trust me, but it's the only possible way that you guys might get out of here alive. Trust me." He paused as he looked at each of the teens in turn. "Please. I want to help. Please."

"I trust him." Mariah spoke up. Lily nodded.

"Me too." Jackson sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Then I guess the rest of us have no choice. We'll do as he says. But if we end up dying because of this, I swear to god, I'm killing all of you." With that being said, he grabbed both his sister and Oliver's arms and headed towards the open basement. When the three of them were inside, he shut the door, cracking it slightly.

"Should we get back in our original spots?" Mariah asked. Alex shook his head.

"No. It wouldn't make sense for me to be handcuffed and him to be shot while you two are in the same spot.

"But what will you say?"

"Don't worry about it. Now get down! He's almost here." Alex commanded and sure enough the footsteps were now running towards the still open front door. Mariah and Lily did as he said, lying down in different sections of the room. All three teens shut their eyes just in time to hear Matt step through the front door that Miley had kicked down earlier.

"What the hell? Alex, what happened?" Matt yelled, fully stepping into the room. Alex looked up and watched his brother's face as he surveyed the scene before him. He watched as he took in James still bleeding on the ground, Lily and Mariah-supposedly unconscious-laying awkward positions, and finally to him, handcuffed to a chair. Alex did his best to appear breathless and nervous.

"Matt! Their friends! They're here!" Matt's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. He moved into the kitchen and ruffled through the drawers looking for the handcuff key. "They barged in when I was bringing the girls up and surprised me." When Matt found it, he returned to his brother's side. He glanced at James who was still bleeding on the floor.

"And that one?"

"I shot him when they came in and knocked him out. Then they handcuffed me."

"Where are they now?" Matt asked, looking at Mariah and Lily. Alex shrugged as he brother freed him and he stood quickly, rubbing his wrists.

"I don't know. They left like ten minutes ago saying something about coming back with more."

"More?" Matt repeated frantically. "More? More what?"

"I don't know! They just said they were coming back with more!" Matt placed his head in his hands and flopped down into one of the sofas.

"Holy shit." Matt said, his face growing pale. "We are so screwed." Alex shook his head.

"Not necessary. We can still get out of this." Matt looked up at his younger brother.

"What are you talking about?"

"We can just leave." Alex calmly stated. "Hear me out!" He added, seeing the enraged expression growing on his sibling's face. "If we leave, they can't officially pin anything on us. We leave the girls and the boy. Their friends will take them to a hospital and in a few hours all three will wake up and be fine. Our fingerprints aren't in the criminal database, the girls don't know our names, and as long as we lay low for a few years, we'll be fine." Matt stood up and shoved his brother hard in the chest, causing Alex to stumble backwards and trip over Mariah's stretched out leg. Alex looked up in fear at his brother and gulped.

"I ought to kill you for even suggesting such a thing!" Matt yelled, to angry to care if anyone heard. "Did you happen to forget that they have pictures of us? That our fingerprints are covering just about everything in this house? That all of them including their friends now know what we look like?"

"Bu-bu-but wouldn't killing them now only grant more reason for them to come after us then if we just let them live?" Alex managed to stutter in response. Matt took a deep breath and slowly nodded.

"Yes, it would." He said, taking off his suit jacket. "But we still kidnapped them. So regardless of whether we let them live or not, we're still going to jail to rot. And if I'm gonna rot in prison, and then I sure as hell am gonna do something worthy of rotting there. We kill them." He glanced over at James, who Alex noticed looked like he was holding his breath. "We kill him too."

"What?" Alex exclaimed quickly jumping to his feet. But we don't even know him!"

"He's an accessory! And if we're clearing our tracks, we have to clear all of them. We're gonna go with the backup plan. Put them in boxes and drown them in Lake Chelan. We'll just throw the boy into one of the garbage bags. Go bring the truck around front and I'll bring the boxes up." He said, already backing up towards the underground room. Alex's eyes widened as he watched the door close slightly.

"I can't." He said quickly, his twin freezing in his spot. "I can't bring the car around."

"Why?"

"Because the truck is a stick shift." Alex said, calmly. "And I can't drive stick shift." Matt thought about it for a moment before nodding.

"Right. Fine. I'll get the truck, and you get the boxes and put start putting the girls in them. I'll be right back." Alex nodded and watched his brother walk through the kitchen and out of the back door. James, Lily and Mariah instantly sat up and stared at him in shock. They opened their mouths to yell at him but he held up his hand to silence them. He waited a few seconds before lowering his hand.

"I was afraid he might come back." He explained just as the basement door swung open and the three teens rushed out, Jackson in the lead.

"Are you serious?" Jackson yelled, causing Alex to quickly hush him. "I thought you were on our side!"

"Stop yelling! He's in the backyard so he can probably still hear you. And I am on your side." The older male quickly whispered in response. "I stopped him from going in the basement and finding you all, didn't I?"

"Only to go along with his suggestion to drown us!" James accused from his spot on the floor. Alex shook his head.

"No. I won't let him do that. I refuse. You're just gonna have to trust me."

"And why should we do that?" Alex sighed and ran a hand through his hair, he looked over at Lily and Mariah to see that they had refused to meet his eyes. He turned his attention back to everyone else who was clearly waiting for an answer. His eyes flickered to Oliver.

"Good Morning Oliver." He started, causing the dark-haired teen to step back slightly. "You don't know who I am, but I certainly know who you are. Let's just say I'm a friend of a friend. Now, I know where Lily is, but she's not gonna be there much longer due to the fact that they're gonna kill her. Call/text this number to get in touch with her. She's in Lynnwood, Washington, but like I said before she's not gonna be there long. You might wanna tell James as well due to the fact that Mariah is going to meet the same fate. Good luck-"

"A friend of a friend." James and Oliver finished for him. The room was silent and everyone stared at him in shock.

"You sent the text." Miley finally said. "You're Mr. Anonymous."

"And you gave us a phone so they could contact us." Mariah added. "You helped them find us." Alex nodded and smiled bitterly.

"I also don't sleep with my eyes open." Lily gasped and he nodded. "Yes, I know you've been stealing food the entire time. I didn't care. Trust me if I had it my way none of us would be in this mess."

"So then why are you doing this?" James finally asked the question they had all been thinking.

"I made a promise to a dying brother that Matt won't let me forget until it's been fulfilled. But I just can't. I won't. I'd rather go through the most painful means of torture possible then continue with this asinine plan. So do you all trust me now?" The six teens in front of him nodded when the back door sprung open and Matt burst in, gun in his hands and his face red with seething anger.

"They might, but I don't!" Alex's eyes widened in surprise and he opened his mouth to speak. "Shut up! Shut up! Don't even think about saying anything. There's no way you're gonna talk yourself out of this one. Now remove your weapons, cell phones, walkie talkies, all of it. All of you." No one moved. "Either do it now, or I shoot your injured friend in the face." He said turning towards James to show he wasn't lying. Reluctantly, James, Jackson, Oliver and Miley removed their weapons and communication devices from on their persons and threw them on the floor. Matt nodded. "Good. Now everybody down with your faces to the floor and your hands behind your head!" All the teens did as he said, laying down in the correct position, James doing his best with his injured leg. Alex motioned to do the same when his replica shook his head. "Oh no. I want you against the wall. Hands up!" Alex sighed before raising his hands shoulder high and slowly moving until his back was firmly against the wall. Matt stepped closer to him.

"I can't believe you would do this." He said, glaring at his twin in disgust. "My own flesh. My blood. _My DNA._ How could you turn on me? How could you turn on _Virgil_?"

"Virgil was wrong!" Alex said, too upset to control the volume of his voice. "Revenge doesn't solve anything. It only hurts more people. What have we gained from all this? Honestly tell me Matt! Exactly what good has this situation brought us? We haven't been eating correctly, we're constantly exhausted, stressed, our hair is falling out, I'm sick _all the time_, we're not sleeping well and we will be rotting in jail for the rest of our natural lives. So please tell me dear brother, _exactly what are we gaining from doing all this_?"

"Don't you dare call me that." Matt spat causing Alex to look at him confused.

"Call you what?"

"_Brother._" Matt said grimacing. "You do not deserve to call me your brother. What kind of brother would sell out his own _twin_? _Virgil_ never would have done this to me. _Virgil _would have stuck with me till the very end. _Virgil _was a brother. _Virgil _was a twin. _Virgil_-"

"Virgil is _dead_, Matthew!" Alex shouted. "He's been dead for a good seven years now." Alex paused and the twins stared at each other. "And no matter what you say or do nothing is gonna bring him back. _Nothing. _There's only you and me now. Alexander and Matthew." Matt glared at him and shook his head.

"You shouldn't talk about him like that. Have some respect for the departed."

"No! I will not!" Alex yelled, his face now as red as his brother's. "Growing up it was always _Virgil and Matt did this_, or _Virgil and Matt did that_ or my personal favorite, _did you hear about what Virgil and Matt did_? You two went out of your way to not include me in everything! It took kids at our high school almost six months to realize there were three of us and not two. It wasn't till he died that you really started talking to me and even then it's still been completely centered around Virgil! I am sick and tired of you putting him on some kind of pedestal."

"Shut up." Matt said, much like Alex had earlier. The twin against the wall continued, too far gone to stop.

"Well news flash! He wasn't some god or a saint or even remotely close."

"Alex, shut up."

"He was a stalker. He stalked Heather in middle school, he stalked her in high school, he stalked her after she got married and he stalked her up until the day he died. Virgil was insane and you knew it but you refused to allow that to taint your stupid image of him."

"I said shut up!"

"He was crazy." Alex continued the majority of his anger out. He now spoke empathetically, simply stating his words and no longer screaming them. "And now he's made you as crazy as he was. And you don't even know it." Matt glared at his twin before firing twice. Alex crumpled to the ground in a heap and didn't move.

_**How about a review?**_


	16. It's Over

**Another update this way comes! :D**

Matt watched as the puddle of blood began to grow around his twin. He sighed and his shoulders shook before turning to face the teenagers staring at him from on the floor. He looked at Mariah and Lily and motioned for the both of them to stand. They stayed where they were. "Either get up, or I'll kill them." He said, aiming at Jackson. Lily and Mariah stared at each other before rising to their feet. "Good. Now tie them up."

"No!" Mariah firmly yelled at him only earning herself a glare from the older male.

"Go get the rope from in the closet and tie them up or they die along with the traitor." He said pointing at the still motionless body behind him. With tears in her eyes, Mariah and Lily dragged their feet towards the closet and returned with a large amount of rope. They moved Jackson and Miley back to back before tying them up with rope, both girls muttering _'I'm sorry'_ the entire time. They then went to do the same Oliver and James, but the latter wouldn't respond to his name being called.

"James?" Mariah asked, her voice slowly growing hysterical. "James? Wake up. This isn't funny and it isn't the time for one of your practical jokes." She began to shake him, urging her boyfriend to respond. "Come on baby, ya gotta wake up. _Please._"

"Tie them up!" Matt commanded. Lily turned and glared at him.

"He's unconscious! He's probably dying due to lack of blood!" She said, beyond the point of caring that he was holding a loaded weapon. Mariah slowly turned to look at him, her eyes blurring with unshed tears and her hands firmly gripping her boyfriend's shirt.

"Please, sir. We won't tell anyone it was you I swear. Bu-but he needs a hospital and he needs one now. Just please, let us get to one. He needs help-"

"If he hadn't come none of this would have happened and I don't care if he's unconscious, near death or already there, just tie him with the other one." The girls did as he said, Lily doing most of the work since Mariah could hardly see through her tears. The four were then pushed into a far corner of the room and gagged before having their mouths taped. When this was done, Matt turned back to the girls gun in hand. "Now you do the same to her." Matt said, his eyes trained on Lily's. The 16-year-old would have protested had the Matt not placed the gun square between Mariah's eyes. "Do it. Now." Lily quickly tied up Mariah before gagging her and taping her mouth shut as well. Matt motioned for her to walk towards the others and she did, her head hung as tears fell down her face. When she was halfway across the room, he rushed up behind her and knocked her in the back of the head with the barrel of his gun. The girl fell instantly and blacked out the moment her skull hit the hard wood floor. The three in the corner gasped and Lily screamed.

"You murderer!" She yelled unable to contain her hatred for the man in front of her. "You filthy murderer! She didn't even do anything!" Matt turned to her and aimed it at her chest. "You gonna shoot me too?" She asked, shaking with anger. Matt shook his head and placed the gun in his pocket before taking some of the left over rope and tying her hands together tightly before gagging and taping her mouth as well. He then gripped her arm and grinned when she winced in pain.

"No. I've got something else in mind for you." He removed the gun from in his pocket and placed it in the small of her back as a warning. Matt then led her out of the still broken front door to where an old red Chevy truck had been parked in front of a tree. He forced her into the passenger side and buckled her in. He then strapped her legs down to the seat so she couldn't fidget before walking back around the car and getting into the driver's seat. He turned the engine on and pulled out of the house's yard. He drove slowly until he reached the deserted street. As soon as the car's tires hit pavement, he stepped on the accelerator going from 15 to 60 in under five seconds. They had been driving at this speed in silence for a few minutes before Matt spoke up.

"Would you like to know where we are going?" He asked, knowing full well that the girl beside him was incapable of answering. "It's this lake a little over an hour away. It's called Lake Chelan. It's over a 1,000 feet deep, the third deepest lake in the country." He grinned when he saw panic run across Lily's face. "I've got a few cinderblocks in the back. I tie them to you, and you'll sink like a rock. Goodbye problems. It's so simple I'm practically kicking myself for not doing it sooner." He sighed and gripped the steering wheel tighter. "A few hours from now, I'll be on a flight to Tahiti and I will be able to put all of this behind me." Lily began to look around the car frantically, trying to find something that would help her get out of her current situation but she was out of luck. With her arms and legs tied, there was nothing she could do except try to make a run for it when he untied her.

They had been driving for a little over ten minutes when they noticed that there was a continuous flash going off up ahead. As they drove closer, they realized that the entire road was blocked by cars in what appeared to be a horrible accident. Matt continued to inch forward and when they were only a few yards away, the car's two occupants realized that the reason that it wasn't a massive car wreck but instead the entire road was blocked by cop cars that were flashing their red and blue lights. In front of the flashing cars Lily could make out a familiar black SUV, a blue Acura, and a green truck she could recognize anywhere. Billy Ray, Oliver's mother and father and her parents. _Her mom and dad._ Unable to control herself, she began bouncing in her seat. Matt noticed this and put two and two together instantly. He parked the car in the middle of the street and began to hit the steering wheel repeatedly.

"No. No! No! No! This is not happening!" He exclaimed. "I was so close, dammit! So close!" Lily was too busy trying to break out of her restraints to focus on what he was saying. "No. It is not ending like this." He drove closer until he was less than seven feet away. He then unbuckled his seatbelt before getting out of the car and walking around the back, his gun well hidden. He opened Lily's door and unbuckled her and unstrapped her legs before yanking her out of the seat. Immediately all of the officers had a gun pointed at him, waiting for a signal.

"It's over." Billy Ray said, trying to get a clear shot at Matt, but he kept moving and made sure that Lily was always in front of him. "Give us back, Lily and we'll think about letting you live." Matt shook his head furiously before removing the gun from his back pocket and placing it at Lily's temple.

"I made a promise and I have no intention of breaking it." He heard a gasp and he turned his head sharply to the right to see a woman with blonde hair, bright blue eyes stained with tears, staring at the girl in his arms desperately. "Heather." He called quietly. The woman looked at him for the first time, deep confusion etched on her face. "Come on now. It hasn't been that long that you don't remember me. Think. Think _hard._ Who do I look and sound like?" She continued to stare at him before realization dawned on her.

"Matthew?" She asked softly. "Matthew Henderson?" The man in question scoffed and nodded.

"You always could tell us apart just by looking. That was probably why I liked you."

"You're behind this?" She questioned. "But-but why would you do this? We were such good friends. And Alex and Virgil-"

"Virgil's been gone for years now and Alex is too. Not that you care." Lily's mother shook her head.

"I don't understand." Matt opened his mouth to keep talking when he glanced at the man standing beside her and his anger flared.

"You!" He yelled, pointing the gun at the man. "This is all your fault!" Dave Truscott's eyes widened.

"What did I do?"

"You knew how Virgil felt about her! You knew how much he liked her_! How much he loved her!_ And you still had the nerve to ask her out!" The man in question's eyebrows furrowed together.

"Wha-"

"You're the reason he's gone! If you had been a true friend, you would have backed off and let Virgil have her. But you didn't and he couldn't stand the thought of knowing that he lost the love of his life to his best friend. So he took his life and it's all because you are a snivelling, spineless little man. I no longer have a brother because of you!" At this point he grinned. "And now you no longer have a daughter." Dave and Heather looked at each other before realizing what he was saying.

"You mean…you…Ashley…the car accident…" Dave stuttered causing Matt to chuckle and nod.

"It was all planned. _I was the one who drove the car_." Heather Truscott gasped and fell to her knees beside her car.

"You…you're nothing but a monster." She said weakly, as she wept freely. "A horrible monster."

"As opposed to the one you married?" He asked, the grip on Lily growing stronger as he cocked his gun. "You made one of my brothers take his life. So I took your daughter's. An eye for an eye. But now, I have lost another one brother, so it's only natural that you lose one more relative too."

"No!" Heather yelled. Both Dave and Shannon had to hold her back in order to keep her from rushing towards the man holding her child. "Please! Please don't! Just give her back to me and you can have whatever you want! Please!" Matt shook his head.

"No amount of pleading or crying is going to get you out of this one. This is your own fault for not realizing who was right for you. I promised my brother I would get his revenge and what better way than to kill the daughter of the traitor in front of the traitor himself?" Lily had begun to fight and fidget again, causing Matt to have to grip her arms even harder. "Say goodbye, Dave."

"Someone shoot him!" Heather screeched. "Someone kill him!"

"We can't risk hitting the girl!" One of the cops yelled back, but the distraught mother refused to listen.

"Shoot him! Kill him! Stop him!" She continued to yell, still the two holding her back. "Someone do something! Lily! Lily!" While Matt had been preoccupied with telling his story, he hadn't realized that the reason Lily and been fidgeting so much was due to the fact that she was carefully and diligently undoing the ropes tying her hands. She had finally gotten it to the point where it was almost undone and if she were to move her hands only a little, the ropes would slide off. Not wanting to reveal this until the absolute last second she was doing her best to keep her arms still and not think about the metal weapon still pressed against her skull.

"Lily," Matt said now speaking directly to the girl he was holding. "I would like you to say goodbye to your parents now. For one last time." He turned her so she was facing them and she could see her mother still struggling to run towards her and her father trying his best to keep both her and himself at bay. Both of her parents were openly crying as they looked at her and she felt herself start to tear up as well. She wanted to yell out to them but the gag was doing its job in preventing her from speaking.

As she looked at her parents, Matt leaned down until his lips were level with his ear. "This ends on three." He said clearly, cocking the gun. "One…" Lily took a deep breath. "Two…" She closed her eyes and thought hard about what she was about to do. "thr-" She moved her arms and the ropes fell just like she expected causing Matt to freeze in surprise. With her captor stunned, Lily was able to knock the gun out of his hands before he yanked her down to the ground. He began to roll them all over the ground, making sure that the police never got a clear shot at him while Lily did her best to stop him. As they rolled, Matt reached into his pocket and pulled out a small knife. He began aiming wildly trying his best to jab it into the girl who was doing her best to stay away from it. After rolling around on the pavement for a good five minutes, everyone froze as the sound of a bullet leaving the barrel of a gun went off. One of the cops had taken aim and had fired. Both Lily and Matt had stopped rolling and lay next to each other on the ground. Both remained still.

Everyone was silent as they waited to see who would come up wounded but neither Matt nor Lily rose from the black tar. After a few seconds of drawn out suspense, a few cops drew closer, guns still raised. When it appeared neither person was moving at all they rushed forward. The bullet had struck Matt in the middle of his spine, snapping it and killing him instantly, his face frozen in shock. They turned to see if it had possibly entered Lily, and were relieved to see it had not. However, it appeared in a last ditch effort, Matt had aimed and unfortunately had struck gold. Beside him, Lily laid unconscious, the small pocketknife resting in her back.

* * *

"Paging Dr. Nelson to room 45. Paging Dr. Nelson to room 45." Oliver sighed for what had to have been the 1,000th time in the past half hour. He, Miley, Jackson, their parents and the parents of Lily, Mariah and James had been sitting in the waiting room of the local hospital for over four and a half-hours. After the shootout in the road, Lily had been rushed to the hospital, bleeding profusely and the knife still in its original spot. Matt had been pronounced dead on the scene. After a few phone calls, an ambulance had been sent back to the house for Alex, James and Mariah and to untie the others. The moment they were free Oliver, Jackson and Miley instantly checked the unconscious for pulses, relieved when they found them. The six were moved to the hospital, leaving police at the scene to investigate the house and search for evidence for the trial.

When they arrived, all six had been taken to different rooms to be checked out. Miley, Jackson and Oliver had been released within thirty minutes, all completely fine. They had opted out of going back to the hotel and decided to wait for the results of the others with their parents. For the most part, the news that had been coming from the doctors had been good. James' leg was broken and he had lost a lot of blood. The doctor's were able to give him a transfiguration and a cast. He would have to use crutches for three months and then wear a walker boot for another two. Mariah had fractured her skull when she hit the ground and also had a slight concussion. She had woken up shortly after arriving and had been responding well to her doctors who announced that she while she was extremely underweight, she had no broken bones, physical scarring or anything else that would need extreme attention. Alex had been shot in the chest and in the stomach and was in the intensive care unit. Luckily, the bullets had missed his organs and they had been able to get the blood to stop and remove them before he bled out completely. He had been drifting in and out of consciousness for over an hour and was using an oxygen mask to breathe. There were three police officers stationed outside his room with instructions to keep watch on him at all times.

Lily was by far the worst. Like Alex, she was on oxygen, unable to breathe on her own. The knife had punctured one of her kidneys to the point of where the organ had to be removed. Her numerous bruises from the continued beatings were evident all over her body and she was suffering from multiple contusions. She was vastly malnourished and had to be hooked up to a feeding tube continuously. Her nose, which had been broken months before, hadn't healed properly and had to be re-broken in order for it to be fixed. Her eyes were completely bloodshot and her face was thinner than what could be categorized as healthy. She was the only one of the wounded who had yet to wake up at all. They had all been going into see her after her surgeries, one by one. From what the doctors had said, the longer she stayed unconscious, the less likely her chances of waking up, so with each visit, everyone was strongly hoping she would. Even Mariah and James had gone in to see her, but they had come up with nothing as well.

At the sound of feet growing closer, the group in the waiting room looked up to see it was Miley, tears freely flowing down her face. She shook her head, and everyone knew it meant that she hadn't responded. They all let out a group sigh in despair. "Who's left?" Jackson asked, quietly as his sister dropped down into the empty seat beside him. Oliver stood and stuck his hands in his pockets.

"Me. I'm…I'm the only one left." He said, slowly heading down the hall to her room. He kept his eyes on the floor as he walked, knowing exactly where the room was. He listened to the sound of his feet hitting the linoleum floor in the empty hallway, his heart beating faster until it felt like it would beat straight out of his chest. He stopped next to a large window, knowing without looking up that it was her room. He took a deep breath and shut his eyes, hoping his mental picture of what lay in that bed was worse than what was actually there. Slowly, he opened his eyes, picked up his head and looked to his left.

His knees nearly buckled and he had to lean against the glass for support. It was just as bad as he had imagined. In all their years of friendship, he had never seen her look so small and fragile and…breakable. As if she would shatter at any given moment. Even more fragile than glass. He stood there staring for almost ten minutes before his hand even reached for the door knob. He eventually turned it and entered, shutting the door behind him. The only sounds in the room were the beating of the heart monitor and the flowing oxygen. He made a face as he listened. Lily always had music playing, so to not hear any, only made the situation even more real.

"Lily?" He said, his voice breaking. "It's me. Oliver. Can you hear me?" He rolled his eyes as the beeping continued. He dragged his feet and dropped into the chair beside her bed. After a little hesitation, he reached forward and gripped his hand in hers. "Do you remember the last time we were in a hospital? And not because we fell off one of our skateboards and needed stitches. But because someone was really sick or…dying. It was for Ashley. That was six years ago." Oliver paused in his speech and rubbed the back of his hand with his thumb. "That was the first time I had ever seen you cry. You were always the strong one out of the two of us. When I got hysterical, you were always there to tell me to chill out." Oliver chuckled as he looked at her.

"I miss you." He stated simply. "Home hasn't been the same since you've been gone. Whenever I thought I saw your hair or heard your laugh or smelled your perfume…and then found out it wasn't you..._I_ _died every single time._ I couldn't watch the videos without wanting to just jump into the screen and pull you to safety and never let you go. When I talked to you on the phone that first time, it was as if my heart started beating again for the first time since you went missing. I could breathe again. I _smiled_. And when I saw you again, it was as if everything finally fell into place. I knew from that moment that absolutely nothing else mattered. _I love you, Lily. _And not this high school romance nonsense, but full on, head over heels, heart stopping, earth shattering, soul crushing…emotional rollercoaster…love. And I swear that the moment you wake up, I will repeat all of this to you, in front of everyone. And I just need you to love me back." He stopped talking and took a deep breath. He moved to start speaking again, when he noticed that the heart rate monitor had begun to slow down. He checked the pulse in her wrist and his eyes widened. It was losing frequency with every second. He shook his head and gripped her hand tighter.

"No! No Lily! You are not leaving me like this, do you understand? You are not!" He yelled at the still girl in front of him. He ran towards the door and threw it open. "Help! Someone help! Please!" At his yell, the four doctors who had been working on her, rushed into the room and pushed him out. He looked through the large glass mirror as they moved around her, his eyes only on the girl in the bed. He pressed his hands and his forehead against the glass as he watched, heart racing furiously. He saw them start picking up needles, scalpels and other things that he generally didn't care about. One of the doctor's saw him looking and quickly walked over to the glass and began to close the binds. She locked eyes with him and sighed at the expression on her face. She shrugged sadly and mouthed _'I'm sorry'_ before shutting them completely.

Oliver sighed and closed his eyes tightly, the tears he had been fighting finally breaking the barriers of his eyelids. "Hold on, Lily. Hold on."


	17. Epilouge

**Last chapter! I can't believe it's over! :')**

_Two Years Later_

"Hey. How's it going?" Oliver asked the gray tombstone in front of him, not expecting an answer. He was dressed in an old pair of jeans and a jacket he hadn't worn in months. He was standing in the middle of the local cementary, trying to make the best out of what he felt like was one of the most awkward moments he'd ever experienced. "I know I haven't visited in a while, and I'm sorry. I…I don't like being here. It feels too much like death. But, regardless I feel that I should come see you more. And I promise that from now on, I will." He paused as he thought about what to say. "I've graduated. Both Miley and I have, but I'm…pretty sure you knew that. We both enroll in UCLA in the fall." Oliver wrapped his arms around his chest. "I miss you. I'm not sure how else to say it. I wish you could have been there for it all. Would have been nice."

"Yeah, it would've been." A voice from behind him said. He glanced back and smiled to see Lily standing behind him, grinning. She walked forward and wrapped her arms around his waist. Oliver smiled and wrapped his arms around her back, pulling her close. She looked up at him and playfully arched an eyebrow. "Isn't this _my_ jacket?" Oliver rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"No," he answered. "This is _my _jacket that I let you _borrow_ while you were in the hospital. Just because you didn't give it back, doesn't make it yours." Lily pouted.

"But I'm your girlfriend. So shouldn't that _technically_ make it mine?" Oliver grinned.

"Say that again." He said.

"Say what again?"

"The _G _word." Lily laughed and playfully hit him.

"We've been together for two years and you still make that face every time I say it."

"Because I enjoy when you say it. And I really enjoy it when other people say it." He said leaning down so that his mouth was next to her ear. "But I especially love when _I _get to say it." He said lifting her off of her feet and spinning her around. When he placed her back on the ground, she grinned at him and leaned up so that her lips could meet his. Lily couldn't stop the smile from spreading across her face as her boyfriend kissed her.

When she had woken up in the hospital, Oliver had been the first one at her side and had loudly proclaimed in front of all that he was in love with her and that nothing she said or did would ever change that. At first, she had been extremely reluctant to say yes to dating him. But after the first couple of dates, she realized that her feelings for her guy best friend really did run deeper as overused and as cliché as it was. He had been by her side through the recovery process, the trials, the multiple therapy sessions she had to attend, and even a return visit to the house where it all went down. He was her rock when she needed him, she was her shoulder to cry on, her security blanket, and much more. In a mere two years, he had gone from the kid she grew up with, to the man she couldn't live without. From an ordinary boy, to _the one._ And from her best friend, to her _everything._ And she couldn't picture being without him. When the kiss ended, she buried her face in his chest and inhaled deeply.

"Why the sudden urge to talk to my sister?" She asked him quietly. He shrugged in return.

"I don't know. I haven't been here since before…the incident. I felt it was time to see her again." Lily looked down at her sister's grave and smiled sadly.

"I can't believe they held me back so I couldn't graduate with you guys." She muttered causing Oliver to chuckle.

"You missed half a year of school."

"So?" Oliver rolled his eyes and kissed her gently on the head.

"So, you'll just graduate next year and join me and Miley at UCLA after. Besides, we're less than 20 minutes away and you of course will be visiting us all the time and we will be doing the same to you." Lily smiled and the two leaned in to kiss again, but were stopped by the clearing of a throat. They pulled apart to see Mariah and James openly grinning at them. The couple walked closer until they were standing beside Lily and Oliver.

"What are ya'll doing here? Weren't we supposed to be throwing a graduation party?" Mariah asked.

"Yeah, why are you guys out here?" James chimed in.

"Oliver was talking to my sister and I was looking for him." The San Diego natives nodded and looked down at the grave in silence.

"Hey Ashley." James said causally. "I never got the opportunity to meet you, but if you're anything like your sister, I wish I had." Mariah nodded.

"Same here. It's funny how things work out. If the brothers hadn't been crazy, you wouldn't have died so soon. But if they hadn't been crazy…then the four of us might not have met." Lily nodded in agreement.

"Miss you sister."

"May she rest in peace." The foursome turned around at the sound of the voice. Standing behind them was Alex, blushing a deep shade of red. Even though he had been in and out of court rooms and on trial for the best two years, he looked better and healthier than he had while leaving in the house of hell. His hair was clean and he had gained some weight around his face as well as midsection. His clothes no longer draped over his frame but fit him well and he seemed more relaxed than the teens could ever remember seeing him. "Hello." He said quietly. The four nodded in reply. "I wanted to bring these." He said, holding up the flowers. "I wanted to pay my respects. To Ashley." He said, awkwardly motioning towards the grave. Lily smiled and nodded for him to proceed. Taking the hint, Alex took a few steps forward. After realizing that they weren't gonna attack, he continued forward until he himself was in front of the grave. He kneeled in front of it. "I'm sorry for killing you." He muttered. "And I will be for the rest of my life. I just hope that your family and friends can find it in their hearts to forgive me." Lily smiled and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"We already have." Alex looked at her and stood.

"Thank you." James patted him on the arm.

"No problem. Congrats on the verdict, man." He let out a sigh and shook his head.

"I can't believe none of you would take the stand. With no witnesses against me and since it was my brother's finger prints on everything, they couldn't charge me. Why'd you do that?" Mariah shrugged.

"You didn't do anything and you didn't want any of it. You didn't deserve to rot in jail forever because your brothers were psychopathic. You tried to stop him and you helped the guys find us even though you knew what the stakes were. The way we saw it, if we were to testify, we would be putting an innocent man away and none of us wanted that on our consciences. Alex nodded.

"Well I am eternally grateful. Thank you. From the very depths of my heart, _thank you._ You guys have pretty much given me a life. And I will never forget that."

"So what are you gonna do now, Oliver asked?" Alex wrapped his arms around himself and shrugged.

"I don't know. We did buy plane tickets to Tahiti for when this was all over…maybe I should use one, ya know? Go clear my head and all. Maybe even get a tan too." The teens smiled and nodded.

"Don't be a stranger." Lily said. "And I mean that. Don't be afraid to stop by."

"Same here." Oliver said. James shrugged.

"My door's always open." The three looked at Mariah who shrugged and shook her head.

"My parents still hate you." She simply stated. "But I'm sure they'll come around. And when I move out, you can come over whenever you want." Alex grinned.

"Thank you. Thank you all. But it's getting late, and I should be going. I'll hopefully see you around." He said, slowly backing away from the four teens. They waved him goodbye and watched him get into a small silver car and drive away. When they could no longer see the car, they turned back to the grave.

"Ready to go?" Oliver asked out loud. Lily shook her head and sat down.

"Not yet. Let's stay a little while longer." Oliver sat down beside her and held her hand. On his other side, James and Mariah did the same. The four sat there in silence staring at the grave, for over an hour. Finally, they decided it was time to go and they all rose from the dirt, dusted themselves off and headed back towards Lily's house, where the party was being held.

Hours later, when everyone had left the cemetery, a lone tall figure crept in with a bouquet of daises and laid them on the grave. Alex took a step back and smiled. Lily had once mentioned to Mariah that daises were Ashley's favorite flower.

And now they were his favorite too.

**Well thats it. Thank you so much for everyone who stuck with the story, read it, enjoyed it left comments and favorited it! It means an awlful lot to me and it's kinda sad to be closing this chapter in my life but it only menas a new one is opening. I love you all now and forever! **

**Peace, Luv & Hairgrease!**

**HP4EverLuver**


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